Hasta La Gadget!

We’d heard rumors this morning that webOS design guru Matias Duarte had left Palm for Google, but now we’ve got it straight from Mountain View: Mr. Duarte is the new User Experience Director for Android. If you’ll remember, Matias previously worked on Sidekick with Android head Andy Rubin, so it’s a reunion of sorts for these two — we’re pretty excited to see where they take Android in the future. As for Palm, well, we’re sure HP has plenty of talented designers waiting to lead webOS into the wild world of tablets, netbooks and, uh, printers, so we’ll see what happens there — things could get crazy on both sides of this transition.

Confirmed: Palm’s Matias Duarte joins Google as User Experience Director for Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 May 2010 11:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, it looks like the rumors were true. Not only is Microsoft’s J Allard now officially leaving the company, but so is Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division, amid what’s described as a broader restructuring that will effectively dissolve the division and give CEO Steve Ballmer more direct oversight of Microsoft’s consumer initiatives like Xbox and Windows Phone as of July.

Contrary to earlier reports, Allard says that he’s not leaving due to the cancellation of the Courier, but instead says that after nineteen years with the company, he simply wants to devote more time to his personal interests, “particularly adventure sports.” Allard also insists that he won’t be moving on to Apple, Google or any other Microsoft rivals — in fact, he’s staying on as an advisor to Steve Ballmer. Robbie Bach’s departure is equally curious — despite being just 48, his move is being described as a “retirement,” and he says that the decision was his own and that he wasn’t encouraged to leave. He’ll also apparently remain with Microsoft through the fall to aid in the transition.

When all’s said and done, mobile communications VP Andy Lees and interactive entertainment head Don Mettrick will each separately report to Ballmer — both have headed their divisions for some time now, so we’d assume that things will otherwise proceed as planned. Still, the loss of talent at the top is certainly noticeable — we’ll see how Microsoft responds now that Ballmer is firmly driving its mobile and gaming efforts.

We’ve got Ballmer’s full letter to the company and Microsoft’s official PR after the break, so take a peek.

Update: Mary Jo Foley has J Allard’s parting email to his employees.

Continue reading Microsoft’s Robbie Bach and J Allard leaving as part of broader shakeup; Xbox and Windows Phone teams now reporting directly to Ballmer

Microsoft’s Robbie Bach and J Allard leaving as part of broader shakeup; Xbox and Windows Phone teams now reporting directly to Ballmer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 May 2010 11:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carol Bartz and Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEOs of Yahoo! and Nokia, respectively, are on stage right now announcing a “strategic relationship” between the two companies on some of their core services. Nokia will be using Yahoo to power its Ovi email and IM services, while Yahoo will be using Nokia / NAVTEQ’s competencies for its mapping and navigation services. Both companies see it as a way to grow their respective userbases, with Yahoo hoping to grab onto the 9 million Ovi users out there, while Nokia hopes that Yahoo could provide it a bit of a USA mojo. Interestingly, Olli-Pekka confronted the US problem head on: “We are an unusual global company in the sense that we are clearly a global leader in our industry, and yet we do not lead in the US.” Carol was similarly forthcoming, saying that Yahoo had “lost its focus on maps a couple years ago,” then correcting herself, saying that they “chose to focus on other areas.” The first merged services should launch in the second half of this year.

During Q&A the big answer to everything seemed to be “scale,” but we also heard Carol toss in “downstream” at an opportune moment. When asked how this relates to Android, iPhone and so forth, Carol clarified that this doesn’t change anything they’re doing on those fronts. “It’s not exclusive from that point.” Each service will be branded as “powered by Yahoo” or “powered by Ovi.” Yahoo will be announcing some “social-like” services for its mail and IM soon, but it’s unclear if that’s specifically related to this announcement. Neither company is talking financial specifics, but Olli-Pekka did make it very clear that a Yahoo-branded device wasn’t forthcoming.

Nokia and Yahoo announce ‘worldwide strategic alliance’ on email, IM, maps, and more originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 10:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just in case you were wondering if Steve Jobs would manage to show up to WWDC 2010 and totally party on the Apple faithful… yes. As you would expect, Steve will be rocking the keynote address on Monday, June 7th at 10AM Pacific. Afterwards you’ll be wondering where you’re going to find the money for that new iPhone. Full PR after the break.

Continue reading Steve Jobs will be front and center at WWDC 2010 for keynote duties

Steve Jobs will be front and center at WWDC 2010 for keynote duties originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 May 2010 08:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s the good kind of follow-the-leader, and then there’s this. While the world cheered as all four major US wireless carriers implemented prorated early termination fees, we can all hang our heads accordingly for this one: AT&T has just followed Verizon Wireless’ march into the dark, evil corners of contractland by adjusting ETFs higher for netbooks and smartphones. In an email sent out to select customers, the carrier notes that beginning on June 1st (that’s less than a fortnight away), customers who select “advanced, higher-end device[s], including netbooks and smartphones, will have an ETF of $325, reduced by $10 for each month during the balance of the service agreement.” That’s up significantly over the $175 ETF that affects all of AT&T’s handsets today, though still $25 less than VZW’s plan. The silver lining — if you could call it that — comes with this point: customers “who are buying basic and quick messaging phones will have a lower ETF of $150, reduced by $4 for each month during the balance of the service agreement.” Naturally, existing contract customers won’t see any immediate change, but you can bet you’ll be nailed with the new terms once you head in this summer to pre-order that iPhone 4G. The full memo is posted after the break — so much for “rethinking possible,” huh?

Update: AT&T has published an “open letter” explaining the changes. Thanks, Daniel!

[Thanks, L.]

Continue reading AT&T follows Verizon, jacks up ETF on netbooks and smartphones

AT&T follows Verizon, jacks up ETF on netbooks and smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 15:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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