Confirmed: Palm's Matias Duarte joins Google as User Experience Director for Android

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.

[CrookedFox Posted May 27th 2010 11:41AM]

He did great work for both Helio and Palm. Can't wait to see what's in store for Android.

[chrizzled Posted May 27th 2010 11:58AM]

the biggest gripe i have with the android UI is the fact that the notifications drawer always opens all the way... why can't it just expand enough to let me see my active notifications?

[diegoelunico Posted May 27th 2010 12:01PM]

I can't believe my eyes!!! My nephew is worldwide known celebrity! LOL

Congrats Matu!!!! :)

[MGDdrinker Posted May 27th 2010 12:21PM]

@diegoelunico
Any chance you could take him a bar, get him drunk, and steal his prototype gingerbread for us?

[Drizzle Posted May 27th 2010 12:02PM]

Will be good thing but android UI is not bad. Maybe some minor changes but it suits me fine as is. Just wanting some froyo!

[Broncsx3 Posted May 27th 2010 12:04PM]

3-4 years ago the Sidekick was the best (and only) true smartphone on the market. It had a full keyboard, multitasking (take that Apple!), a marketplace with aps and my favorite web browser with options I still don't see on other phones like Page Up & Down, Find and and a great cache system. Truly ahead of it's time.

Then WebOS comes from Palm and it's the best thing on the market. That dude is a genius. I cant wait for next Android offerins!

[Snarf101 Posted May 27th 2010 12:16PM]

Android is looking better and better! Can't wait to get Froyo and future updates on my Droid.

[jeff0529 Posted May 27th 2010 12:30PM]

Score one for the good guys!

[StriderNo9 Posted May 27th 2010 12:37PM]

Great, hopefully he can polish up the UI.

[mamoore1982 Posted May 27th 2010 12:37PM]

Two things:

1 - Since Gingerbread is already slated for later this year, would that give him much time to make a substantial impact on that release?

2 - If Android gets a nice, clean UI that gets people's attention, what are the chances that we'll see fewer custom interfaces that slow down the update process?

[marook Posted May 27th 2010 12:38PM]

Cool!
Google hires a designer from a total flop! Way to go... guess Android has a great future ahead.. ROFL

[bphatness Posted May 27th 2010 12:53PM]

@marook
The only "flop" is your comment... you obviously haven't used WebOS. If you had, you would see how significant this hiring is.

[marook Posted May 27th 2010 12:57PM]

@bphatness But it does not SELL = Flop!

[bphatness Posted May 27th 2010 1:06PM]

@marook

I guess you evaluate your gadgets like it's a prostitute:
"How many sales did we make tonite?"

I evaluate my gadgets like a lady: Gorgeous (WebOS)... Intelligent (WebOS)... And has an app that will do anything i want (Android)

[LiveFromThe215 Posted May 27th 2010 1:09PM]

@marook
To suggest that guys on the design team is responsible for business & marketing failures is a "total flop" of reasoning and logic

[fizix Posted May 27th 2010 1:32PM]

@marook
Whats a flop is someone who can't distinguish a flop by marketing standards and OS/UI standards. What's a bigger flop is flopping at a statement like yours and having the balls to put your face as your avatar.

Talk about a flop.

[dimithra Posted May 27th 2010 12:40PM]

Crap.. I hope Palm and HP do well even after all these high profile people leaving!

[roflcopter Posted May 27th 2010 12:45PM]

BRACING FOR EPIC!

[MacCanuck Posted May 27th 2010 1:00PM]

Apple envy and imitation... isn't it wonderful? Android UI basically sucks so they need to buy help to catch up to others.

Google has surpassed Microsoft in trying to out-Apple Apple, even going beyond Apple by getting into everything it possible can.

Google, going from a popular search engine, to infesting...
- mail (GMail)
- maps (along with Street View and Google Earth)
- online apps (Picasa, Docs, etc)
- OS/browser (Chrome)
- phone (OS - Android)
- phone apps (store)
- tablet (soon, with Android no doubt)
- new movie codec (WebM)
- TV box

Have I missed any?

And Google has the nerve to slam Apple at I/O re one dominant over bearing force in the tech world?

Google's "Do no evil"... LMAO

[element4life3 Posted May 27th 2010 1:04PM]

@MacCanuck Apple fanboys, please go back to your holes while us Android users enjoy some great news!

[memeslayer Posted May 27th 2010 1:58PM]

@element4life3 Android is an ugly pig.

[HoldenMccrotch Posted May 27th 2010 2:17PM]

@MacCanuck
dude, you know apple has experimented shit loads too?
just because they failed at it and try to hide the fact doesnt mean they didnt, apple pippin anyone?

just because google is successful at improving what they work on doesnt make them an evil company

[Atlantian Posted May 27th 2010 3:27PM]

@MacCanuck Steve jobs wants his balls in your mouth back

[element4life3 Posted May 27th 2010 1:02PM]

@summerboy18 IMO, Android is winning in the UI dept, most recently with 2.1 and now 2.2. The iPhone OS is looking dated, and even with what I have seen of 4.0, it isn't looking as if it is going to change. I want customization when it comes to my phone, ie widgets, moving wallpapers and themes I can download. If Apple's new 4.0 OS is lacking these, I still think Android suits me more, and they are the real innovators when it comes to their OS.

[LiveFromThe215 Posted May 27th 2010 1:03PM]

Nice!!

It's nice to know that Android's UI grew up to be at least better then that of a iPhone, but since that doesn't say alot now & days and webOS setting the standard for pretty user experience - who better then one of their head honchos!?

[boxieblue Posted May 27th 2010 1:06PM]

maybe he will go ahead and give a FACE to android. at the moment, when you think of the iPhone OS, you instantly picturise those rounded-rectangular, shiny icons. When you think of Palm Web OS you instantly think of those multiple cards on the screen. When you think of WP7, those sweet, edgy, simple rectangles come to mind.

But when you think of Android OS? All i can think of is that green droid...

[waemun Posted May 27th 2010 1:27PM]

@boxieblue
there is sumthing of a face to android...i always think of that drawer...dear god the drawer full of PROGS

[AbsoluteDesignz Posted May 27th 2010 2:14PM]

@waemun "My God...it's full of PROGS"

[AstroSeven Posted May 28th 2010 2:28AM]

@boxieblue

Sense UI defines android for many folks.As much as I enjoy using sense, It Matias can bring some brilliance to the native android UI, the sense compatibility slowdowns imposed by HTC will no longer exist and allow for more streamlined upgrading, ideally.

[jaffreywali Posted May 27th 2010 1:07PM]

Android will look like webOS rather than iPhone. Apple must be relieved.....wonder how people liked webOS in general.

[waemun Posted May 27th 2010 1:19PM]

NICE....here comes that polish to UI that certain engadget editors have pined for...along with a lot of the community of android users

[Moony123 Posted May 27th 2010 1:24PM]

Oh. God. Yes.

I'd love a little bit of WebDroid on my Desire!

[ackthbbft Posted May 27th 2010 1:28PM]

That sounds like good news for Google, since the webOS UI is the best one out there.

That may not be good news for HPalm, however, since with different designers coming in, it may create unexpected changes overall evolution and design vision of webOS.

[thede Posted May 27th 2010 1:34PM]

welcome more fragmentation!!! what happened to separating the core from the core...let's hope we end up with a WebOS skin :D

[vkelman Posted May 27th 2010 4:06PM]

@thede
Nop, better UI shouldn't imply more fragmentation, provided that OS employee a good N-Tier decoupled design; and Android already started to move in that direction.

[HoldenMccrotch Posted May 27th 2010 2:12PM]

@element4life3
agreed, though, ill wait and see what jobs brings at his next meet up (god knows engadget will be pasting it everywhere...)
though, right now, i think that android is going to be better than Iphone OS4, its like the FF Vs IE debate, IE was favoured before, and is still used by the masses, but any real fan of tech knows FF is better

plus steve is unlikely to change what he sees as the only way tech should be, and you wont have a choice about it

[vkelman Posted May 27th 2010 2:50PM]

@masta vaan,
Guys, I newer owned Palm phones, nor I owned or played with iPhone; Android phones are my first smartphones, ADP1 first and now Nexus One. I really like Android and don't see significant holes in its interface.
Still, everyone continue to tell me how beautiful is WebOS UI and how polished is iPhone.
So, could you please describe and give concrete examples of what and how some things are developed better, more user-friendly in WebOS and/or iPhone than in Android (2.1)?
It's really interesting to know, especially because I'm a professional Web developer. I'm tempted to buy Palm phone just to see how it is done, but it's expensive and kind of crazy... my wife wouldn't understand me ;-)

[Atlantian Posted May 27th 2010 3:25PM]

@summerboy18 what ui shiny icons?

[TareG Posted May 27th 2010 3:37PM]

WOOOHOOO.

The thing I loved the most about webOS was its pure elegance. The curves, the shades, the shapes, the FONT, the colors....it was very elegant. I would love to see even a fraction of this elegance in Android.

[vkelman Posted May 27th 2010 4:02PM]

@TareG
You reminded me about a recent release of web fonts by Google.

[toddjy Posted May 27th 2010 4:22PM]

What a great idea for Android to hire him. Because WebOS is such a success!

[andreb Posted May 27th 2010 4:29PM]

Notice to Current Android Owners: your current device will soon be referred to as "one of those old models with the clumsy UI."

[Ariel Bender Posted May 27th 2010 4:41PM]

Google's Android & The WebOS guy.

Fail + Fail = More Fail

[Bobbo Posted May 27th 2010 7:03PM]

This is awesome news. Google has done a great job at integrating outside ideas very quickly into their world. I'm hoping they really push the envelope and come out with a UI that is even better than sense on stock android.

That would go a long way in users getting updates in a more timely manner. Assuming that Sense UI would no longer be needed.

[gesso Posted May 27th 2010 8:43PM]

How come nobody mentions Matius being the UX director at Helio? Which was his previous gig before Palm.

[AstroSeven Posted May 28th 2010 2:21AM]

major win for android.

I hope Eric Tseng is enjoying facebook ;)