Users of the current Unity desktop are no doubt familiar with its "Places" concept, but the next version will offer "Scopes" and "Lenses" instead.

"Scopes are data sources, and can tap into any online or offline data set as long as they can generate categorized results for a search, describe a set of filters and support some standard interfaces," Shuttleworth explained. Lenses, meanwhile, "are various ways to present the data that come from Scopes," he added.

Numerous filtering options can be used with Scopes, Shuttleworth noted, including ratings--enabling a user to search for all the 5-star apps in the , for example--and categories.

"Over time, the sophistication of this search system will grow, but the goal is to keep it visual and immediate--something anyone can drive at first attempt," Shuttleworth wrote.

2. Panel Changes