From the BUILD conference. Very in-depth, with lots of information on how the revamped Start menu and overall Metro UI work.

But even in this early state, Windows 8 is unambiguously a first-class tablet operating system.

Update: you can read the press release from the Build Windows event on Microsoft’s website.

The Inkling digital sketch pen captures a digital likeness of your work while you sketch with its ballpoint tip on any sketchbook or standard piece of paper. Designed for rough concepting and creative brainstorming, Inkling is ideal for the front end of the creative process.

$199, and available from mid-September. But what makes this product interesting is this:

Inkling does not require any specialized paper. It is intended to be uses with standard paper or Sketchbooks on flat, rigid drawing surfaces.

This is unlike my LiveScribe Pulse, which requires its own notebooks.

The company came under fire after telling its employees to open copies of Deus Ex and remove coupons for competing digital distribution service OnLive, which were included in the game’s packaging.

That’s some disgusting behaviour; to open another company’s product and remove a part of it before sale. But the game’s publisher’s response is even more disgusting:

Square Enix issued a statement Wednesday supporting GameStop’s decision.

“As part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s boxed offering on PC, Square Enix included a third-party coupon,” the gamemaker said. “GameStop was not made aware of this inclusion and Square Enix respects the right of GameStop to have final say over the contents of products it sells and to adjust them where they see fit in accordance with their policies.”

Don’t utter a bad word about GameStop, because without them, you can kiss goodbye to retail sales in the United States.

Hewlett Packard has confirmed plans to exit PCs, tablets and phones, in order to refocus on software.

HP also said it was considering a sale of its personal systems group, which includes the world’s biggest PC-making business.

Aside from the potential purchase of Autonomous, what software of major significance does HP have?

[Update] The Financial Times has the details on how large a role software plays in HP now:

Former SAP chief executive Léo Apotheker, who took the top job at HP last year, has said that the company wants to expand in software, an area that accounted for only 2.4 per cent of HP’s $32.4bn revenues in its latest quarter, and 4 per cent of its operating profit, or $154m.

If it decides to sell its PC business, the company is in for a major change in how it operates.

Sony has revealed that Vita development kits will cost just €1900 plus VAT, making the upcoming portable a viable proposition to smaller studios.

I really want the Vita to succeed, as it has many things going for it: attractive hardware, especially the addition of a second analogue stick; a competitive price point, helping it to compete with Apple’s and Nintendo’s offerings; and a cheap devkit with which to entice indie developers.

Development on Duke Nukem Forever started in 1997 and the final product is — 14 years later — finally available for purchase.