I’d be remiss not to mention the release of Windows Phone 7 Series last week. Microsoft has taken a leap of faith here—completely reworking their mobile offering from the ground up. There is a newfound focus on touch and gestures, UI design, and social networking integration.

I think Microsoft has a success here. In addition to a generally pleasant looking user interface (though Tufte disagrees), the software is also hardware independent like Google’s Android—in contrast with Apple’s closed iPhone OS. Unfortunately, there are no actual devices yet which run Windows Phone 7 Series, though I’m sure we’ll see some very soon. All in all, the release may not be enough to save the failing mobile platform (primarily from the burden of IE), but it looks a great last stand.

Ewww. (via @uxmag)

Steve Ballmer unveils Windows 7 on NBC’s Today Show with a Macbook Pro in the background.

Cult of Mac has posted a gallery of “Icon Porn,” Snow Leopard’s beautiful icons. My favorite icon since Leopard has been the networked Window’s icon — featuring a beige CRT monitor and the “blue screen of death.” I wouldn’t say it’s smug, I bet even the guys over Redmond got a chuckle out of it (even if it was subdued and nervous).