logo
Latest
Sega splits Index Corporation, Atlus debuts new logo
In February we reported on a plan by Sega to split its newly acquired Index Corporation into a business wing and a wing focused on developing games. Today, that division is official. As of this morning, the old Index Corporation no longer exists. In its place stand two divisions of Sega: Atlus, which develops the same sort of quirky role-playing games (like Persona) that made its namesake an attractive acquisition for Sega in the first place, and Index, which will handle the minutiae of advertising and business operations for the former division. Former Sega managing director Yukio Sugino has been tapped to lead Atlus, while former Index executive vice president Yasuhiko Hamada will lead that segment of the company. Along with the new structural change, Atlus has adopted a new logo, which can be seen above this text. It's quite similar to the old design, though each letter is now thinner and the overall color scheme is less impactful. [Image: Sega]
Google mandates Android logo on device bootup screens
When we first booted up the new HTC One, we were greeted by a "Powered by Android" logo near the bottom of the screen; Samsung has done the same thing with the Galaxy S5. At first this may not seem like a very big deal, but thanks to some internal documents and verification from sources familiar with the matter, there may actually be a lot more to this simple logo than meets the eye. We've confirmed with sources that Google now requires that manufacturers add the "Powered by Android" logo to their splash screens in order to get certified for its Mobile Services.
Say hello to the new Engadget design and logo!
Engadget breaks news all day long, but today we've got a little of our own. I'm really excited to announce that over the next few days we're rolling out some of the biggest, most important updates ever to launch on the site. Our goal is nothing short of making Engadget the most useful, advanced, and thoughtfully designed place on the internet to learn about personal technology. Step one on that path launches today: a dramatically simplified new site design, and a fresh new Engadget logo to go along with it. Then, in a few short days we'll be launching a ton of new functionality to take advantage of this all new design, including user profiles, forums, product lists, product comparisons, user reviews, price alerts, and much more. I can't wait to tell you all about it. Read on to learn more.
Google drops its black menu bar, rolls out more streamlined look for the web
Some users of Google's web-based products may have already seen the familiar black menu bar disappear from one Google site or another, but the company has now confirmed that was only just the beginning. It's announced today that a broader rollout is underway that will see most of its sites get a new "app launcher" in its place. That new interface should be familiar to anyone who's used Android or Chrome OS; it simply consists of a small icon in the top right of each page that expands to reveal a grid of larger icons. According to Google, the change is being done to make getting around various Google services more "seamless," and eliminate any distractions once you're inside an app. Along with the menu bar change, Google has also confirmed that it's "refined the color palette and letter shapes" of its logo, and that the updated version of it will be making its way across the company's various offerings along with the new menu bar. You can apparently expect those changes to occur over the next few weeks.
Bing refresh brings a new logo, more 'at a glance' info with cards and info from your friends
Microsoft's search engine continues to push the rock up a hillside as it chases Google, and some new Bing features add or enhance its search in very familiar ways. First up is a reworked logo, detailed to a level that we're sure Marissa Mayer can appreciate. Bigger than that however are the adjustments to search, with improved "Snapshot" cards that try to fill in what you want to know about a person, place or thing before you even click on a search result. Like Google's cards it has a quick index of info, but it also pulls from Facebook and Twitter to see what your friends might be saying about it. The "Page Zero" results that auto-fill even as you search a query are improved as well, with mini-tiles there that have pictures and text. Other tweaks are meant to improve the experience on screens from phone to TVs, while new "Pole Position" results fill in answers for easy questions about things like the weather. Senior Director of Search Stefan Weitz tells the WSJ the company "went back to the drawing board about how to build searches" -- let us know if the changes are enough make you switch.
Weekly Roundup: Galaxy Gear hands-on, iPhone 5S and 5C rumors, Microsoft / Nokia acquisition, and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Yahoo unveils its new logo (spoiler: it still says Yahoo)
After a month of swapping out logos, Yahoo has finally chosen a winner to stick with for good. Shown above, it's still "whimsical, purple and with an exclamation point" -- and as a hidden bonus, that exclamation point is animated on the company's website. The only real upside here? Now the internet won't freak out about Yahoo's design decisions on days when it goes all comic sans.
Yahoo to reveal new logo next month, send off current one with daily tribute
Since taking on Marissa Mayer as CEO last year, Yahoo's kept itself occupied with purchasing Tumblr, giving Flickr a facelift, redesigning its email service, fine-tuning its fantasy sports solution and much more. Citing a renewed sense of progress, the company's announced it's taking up a new logo that'll evolve "the essence" of the brand accordingly. While the fresh design won't be unveiled until September 5th, Yahoo will show off a unique take on its current logo -- like the one above -- for the next 30 days throughout its homepage and network of sites. Don't expect a radical departure from its roots, however. An exclamation mark, the color purple and the hallmark yodel will all be a part of the new branding.
Apple trademarks new FaceTime logo, settles on green
There's certainly been a lot of brouhaha surrounding the new design language Apple introduced for iOS 7 at WWDC. Some (ourselves included) feel it's modern and fresh while others loathe the brighter palette and simpler, flatter icons. A lot can change between now and the launch of iOS 7 this fall, but if Apple's recent trademark filing is any indication, FaceTime's new logo / icon -- which consists of a stylized white video camera inside a rounded-off green square -- fits squarely (ahem) within the aesthetic we saw on stage in San Francisco. Of course, companies often trademark logos, so we can't really say this comes as much of a surprise, either. If you're curious where Jony Ive might have found his inspiration for the pastel colors and thin lines showcased in iOS 7's iconography, check out Otl Aicher's design work for the 1972 Olympics in the "more coverage" link after the break.
Firefox gets a new logo, rolls out desktop and Android Beta updates
Firefox is an ever evolving beast, and that includes both its friendly orange fox logo, and its Beta channel browser. Today Mozilla unveiled the fourth Firefox logo, a (slightly) less textured and glossy icon for its favored web browser. Meanwhile, the latest update for for Firefox Beta brings access to the company's Social API and, consequently, Share buttons to the platform -- so Facebook fanatics can have one-click sharing of images, articles, videos and links from the Firefox toolbar. The new Beta is also getting a Mixed Content Blocker that prevents HTTP (read: nonsecure) content from loading on HTTPS websites. Plus, there's a new Network Monitor feature to let devs see how quickly individual page components load and optimizations for OS X 10.7 that enable its scrollbar style and and the scroll bounce behavior Apple fans love. Oh, and for you mobile fans, the Android Beta was updated today, too. Now, it's got an auto-hide Awesome Bar, a URL autocomplete function and an updated RSS feed reader that allows you to add feeds to with a long press on the aforementioned Awesome Bar. Pretty awesome, gents, now let's get these Beta features into a full release, and it'll be really awesome.
Xbox logo undergoes subtle change on site ahead of next-gen reveal
We've pulled together the very best minds at Joystiq Tech to analyse the all-important changes between the old Xbox logo (left), originally on the Xbox.com site, and a new logo (right) that's appeared today. After hours of heated discussion, they came to a consensus. The font is a different color. The sphere doesn't have the same sheen. The X on the sphere is darker, and a bit wider When asked what this all means, if anything, our hive-mind melted into a puddle before quickly evaporating into a steam cloud that drifted out of the window. Maybe we'll find out more in a few hours time.
Apple now owns the trademark to The Beatles' Apple Corps Logo
Apple and The Beatles have had a contentious relationship for years. The Beatles Apple Corps company felt Apple's logo -- and the company's eventual foray into digital music -- infringed on their trademark Apple Corps logo. Then in 2007, Apple, Inc. and Apple Corps Ltd. finally settled trademark dispute. That settlement gave Apple, Inc. ownership of "all of the trademarks related to 'Apple' and will license certain of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use." But in 2011, Apple went further to secure its right to the trademark, actually filing for it to secure ownership over it. Yesterday, that ownership was granted. As discovered by Patently Apple, the Cupertino company was granted the registered trademark of the famous logo on October 24, 2012. So what does this mean for Apple? Theoretically, it could use the Apple Corps logo for any purpose. But that probably won't happen. This is more just a housekeeping matter with the company tying up any loose ends to a decades-long trademark dispute.
eBay straightens out its logo after 17 years
A lot has changed on the internet over the last 17 years, but one of the small constants has been eBay's decidedly 90s logo, which has remained colorful and off-kilter as others have shifted with the trends. Now, after all these years, it's finally making a clean break (mostly). The company today took the wraps off a whole new logo, one that retains the old colors but does away with the overlapping, non-conformist letters -- or, as eBay President Devin Wenig puts it, a logo that's "rooted in our proud history and reflects a dynamic future." You can find the company's full explanation of the change at the link below, and look for the logo itself to actually be put into use by eBay in mid-October.
Microsoft unveils new logo for the first time in 25 years
Microsoft unveiled a new logo for the first time in 25 years today. The company's name now appears in the smoother, more modern Segoe font, and next to it is Window 8's 'flag', but with four colored squares. Going by the video after the jump, the blue square appears to represent Windows, the red square Office, the green square Xbox (whose logo remains unchanged), and the yellow square ... something new, maybe?For the last quarter of a century, Microsoft has used the "Pacman logo", as designed by Scott Baker in 1987. The slash between the o and s was supposed to represent the motion and speed of the company and its products. Microsoft chose to change the logo to "visually accentuate" a new beginning in the form of Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, the next version of Office – and maybe the next version of Xbox?Take a look at an intro video from Microsoft below the break.
Microsoft reveals new logo after 25 years, proves that it's (still) okay to be square
Remember that time Microsoft teased what most sane humans thought were new logos? That was right around two years ago, but the branding you see above is no mistake -- that's the new Microsoft logo, landing just months after Windows 8's new flag and merely weeks before the aforesaid operating system takes the planet by storm. Astoundingly, it has been a full quarter-century since Microsoft gave itself a new logo, and while we're sure pundits will jump all over it just because "dealing with change is hard," there's no doubt that the outfit's new face is bold in its simplicity. Care to learn more? There's a happy-go-lucky video waiting just after the break.
Alt-week 7.21.12: Outer space, flying hotels and federal trolls
Alt-week peels back the covers on some of the more curious sci-tech stories from the last seven days. Whether you've got your head in the clouds, or your feet firmly locked on terra firma (or is that terrorist firma?) the last seven days in Alt have something for you. We look at a massive aircraft, that could revolutionize air travel as we know it, as well as look back at a real-world project that heralded a significant shift even further up in the sky. There's the NASA logo that never came to be, and lastly, for those less fond of heights, we hear how a US government department is heading in the other direction -- albeit culturally -- all in the fight against terror. This is alt-week.
Microsoft updates SkyDrive for Windows app: new status window, freshened logo
We dug into Microsoft's recently updated SkyDrive efforts in a review earlier this year, and it looks as if the company's still intent on improving things based on user feedback. The newest update to SkyDrive for Windows (version 16.4.6003.0710, for the number crunchers) includes quite a few under-the-hood improvements that are said to bolster "performance, reliability, and compatibility." But beyond that, you'll also see a much-requested status window; put simply, this guy gives users a glanceable view at whether or not their SkyDrive is in sync, and displays the time at which it was last updated. In the event that a sync is still ongoing, you'll also see the number of megabytes and files you have remaining to sync. Finally, Microsoft has refreshed the SkyDrive logo -- not surprisingly, there's a pinch of that Metro styling throughout.
DirecTV vs. Viacom squabble could see MTV, Comedy Central and 16 others go dark at midnight
The latest participants in the carriage dispute dance are DirecTV and Viacom, with the two companies attempting to reach a new agreement before their existing one expires tonight. If they don't, the network's 26 channels (MTV, BET, VH1, Spike TV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon etc.) could be cut off at midnight. As usual, each has its own side of the argument with Viacom claiming DirecTV has been underpaying for years, while DirecTV accuses Viacom of seeking an increase that will add up to a billion dollars in a year and is responsible for pulling the channels while negotiations continue. We're not particularly sympathetic to the plight of either corporate behemoth (or optimistic that any savings will ever reach customer's pockets) but if you must support one over the other then there's plenty of propaganda to be found at the links below. This may not be as crucial as Dish Network's (potentially) Breaking Bad-interrupting tiff with AMC, but if we have to miss an episode of Workaholics or Awkward it's going to be bad for everyone. Update: We've revised the total channel count from 26 as Viacom stated to 18 -- as much as we like HD feeds, we don't usually count them twice. [Thanks, AJ]
Microsoft Office 15 leaks suggest Office 2013 name, show off Metro logo and Web Apps UI
Didn't make it into Microsoft's Office 15 Technical Preview? Neither did we, however that has not stopped details about the next iteration of the office software suite from leaking out. CNbeta.com is flashing shots of a new red Metroized logo (no surprise) that's similar to Windows 8's err... window and showing off the name "Office 2013 Preview", while LiveSide.net has a comparison shot of the Web Apps Preview, seen above featuring a flattened look and spaced out buttons similar to screenshots seen earlier. We're still expecting a public beta of Office 15 / 2013 later this summer so it shouldn't be too long before we're all sharing the excitement of filling up cells and parsing data as though it was for the first time. Update: Added clarification that the shot above is from the Office Web Apps preview.
Guild Wars 2 dev shows off company pride with dragon tattoo
To show his love for Guild Wars 2, ArenaNet content programmer Eric Rane devoted a large section of skin to the game's dragon logo. The eight-hour labor of love is splayed across Rane's torso, where it will proudly proclaim his devotion whenever he's wandering shirtless around Seattle. Aside from being an extremely cool piece of art, the logo symbolizes Rane's time and accomplishments at ArenaNet. When talking about his motivation for getting the tattoo, Rane said, "ArenaNet is without a doubt the best video game company I have ever worked for." He went on to talk about his pride in his company and co-workers. As a programmer, he's worked on the event system, boss monsters, and character creation that so many people have been enjoying in the beta events. Rane didn't even wait for the game to ship before dedicating a sizable chuck of flesh to it, so take a moment to consider that the next time you're tempted to proclaim yourself a hardcore fan.
