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HP's Todd Bradley all but confirms webOS tablet for February 9th event, promises even more devices
We do love to hear from loquacious execs, and HP's Todd Bradley has been the very definition of one in an interview conducted with CNBC during CES. In a discussion revolving around webOS, Bradley was asked how HP intends to differentiate itself from the iPad and improve upon it, to which he quipped, "you and I will talk about that on the 9th." If that's not a confirmation that we'll finally have our unicorn of a webOS tablet next month, we don't know what is. Even more encouraging is the implication further on in the interview that HP could have debuted this slate at CES, but opted to do an unveiling at a separate event so as to properly highlight just how awesome it is. But wait, there's yet more good news for webOS fans: Bradley's crew sees its upcoming tablet as just "one piece" of the connected experience that is the company's goal and we're promised to be enlightened about a broad range of webOS devices at the February 9th event in San Francisco, though the lack of any Palm namedrops seems to suggest they might not bear the name of their maker. Even if they're called iPaqs, we just want to see them already!
Early Venue Pro adopters get free Bluetooth headsets, the infinitely rewarding lesson of patience
Still bummed to be waiting for your Venue Pro? Dell's amended its December 14th shipping update -- henceforth known as (this time only, and then never again) as "VP Day" -- to let yearning customers know that, if they had ordered the device before that day, a present was coming in due course. Nay, not a present, a Thank You in the form of a free Plantronics Explorer 240 Bluetooth headset. That's shipping in four to six weeks, excusing any ironic bouts of delay of its own. Let's just hope it doesn't beat your Windows Phone 7 device to the doorstep. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Nokia's former MeeGo chief confirms new role as Senior VP of webOS at HP
Ari Jaaksi, the former head of MeeGo Devices at Nokia, has confirmed reports from last month identifying HP as his new employer. According to the latest update to his LinkedIn profile, Ari is now enjoying the mild temperatures of the San Francisco Bay Area and does indeed hold the title of Senior Vice President at Hewlett-Packard. That in itself doesn't necessarily mean he's the new head honcho for webOS and Palm devices, but clicking on his "Company Website" link takes you to Palm.com, which should dispel any lingering doubts. So now that we know he'll be helping steer the HPalm ship, can we start sending Ari our mockups for the Pre 3 or what?
CE-Oh no he didn't!: Anssi Vanjoki says using Android is like peeing in your pants for warmth
You've been asking and imploring, so Anssi Vanjoki -- straight shooter, that he is -- now has an answer. Why doesn't Nokia switch to Android? Because Google's software represents only a short-term solution that will lead to bigger quandaries down the line, says he. Anssi was even graceful enough to illustrate this point with a vivid example, saying that mobile manufacturers who go the Android route are doing no better than Finnish boys who "pee in their pants" for warmth in the winter. Yeah. We don't know where to go from here either. To be honest, there's a legitimate point behind this trash talk, as the FT notes some analysts agree with Anssi that relying on Android as the universal OS may lead to "permanently low profitability" with users failing to distinguish among different brands if they all offer the same experience. Then again, tell that to HTC. [Thanks, Maark]
Nokia's Peter Skillman talks design priorities, gives us hope for a sunny MeeGo future
A day before jetting off to London to commence his role as MeeGo's head of User Experience and Services, Peter Skillman was kind enough to sit down with the design junkies at ZURB and dish out his thoughts on what makes for good mobile design and where it is that most companies trip up. Lest you forget, this is the dude that was in charge of putting the Palm Pre together, so he's not exactly without credence in these circles. Which is a good thing, because he doesn't bother with pulling any punches. Peter namedrops Motorola's Motoblur as an unnecessary layer on top of Android, criticizes the failure of different groups within companies to communicate effectively, and finishes off his treatise with a list of priorities for successful design: consistency, emotional content, and a paranoid fear of mediocrity. Inspiring stuff, we're sure you'll agree. Other tidbits of import include the fact that Pete had to withstand nine days of interviews before getting the Nokia job, and also this memorable quote on the topic of smartphones: "if you're not succeeding at the high end, then you're absolutely doomed to failure." We've been saying the same thing for ages and it's encouraging to know that Nokia now has an exec with his finger on the market's pulse. Now let's see him deliver on those words. You'll find the full interview at the source link below.
Nokia hires Peter Skillman, former Palm Design VP, as MeeGo user experience chief (update: confirmed)
Now this, this is what we call exciting. Nokia has managed to scoop up Peter Skillman from the wreckage of the HP/Palm merger. One of the many senior VPs to leave Palm upon its assimilation into the HP empire, Peter spent 11 years with his previous employer and was in charge of the design team that produced the deliciously curvaceous Palm Pre. Now at Nokia, he'll be heading up the user experience and services division for MeeGo, which means that if you weren't excited for the platform already, you've now got a very good reason to be. Update: We met with Marko Ahtisaari, Senior Vice President of Design at Nokia, to get comment on this story. His response? "Right, I just hired him." So why not announce it, we asked, this is pretty big news? According to Marko, "We have products today, products are more interesting. Peter is looking after the user experience design of MeeGo and services and is a great new addition to the team." Marko's team, to be specific. To us this seems like another component that could help Nokia break into the US market with MeeGo. [Thanks, Dave]
Nokia's Anssi Vanjoki resigns, the search for a new smartphone chief begins
Holy moly, it's all gone topsy turvy over in Nokia's camp. After Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo was given his marching orders on Friday, this week it's the turn of Anssi Vanjoki -- who only recently became the company's Mobile Solutions leader -- to announce his departure. Anssi has handed in his requisite six-month notice along with the following statement: "I felt the time has come to seek new opportunities in my life. At the same time, I am one hundred per cent committed to doing my best for Nokia until my very last working day. I am also really looking forward to this year's Nokia World and sharing news about exciting new devices and solutions." It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to recognize that Anssi's sudden desire to explore new opportunities is at least in part motivated by Nokia's choice to install Stephen Elop as its future CEO at the expense of good old OPK. Still, you've got to think there could've been a better time to announce such heart-stopping news, maybe after your company's most pivotal Nokia World convention in recent memory? [Thanks, Ted]
Intel snaps up former Palm and Apple VP Mike Bell for its smartphone push
Seriously, what the hell did HP acquire when it bought Palm? A bunch of pretty patents and a rapidly dwindling talent pool, it would seem. Mike Bell, a celebrated capture for Palm back in 2007 after 16 years at Apple, was most recently occupying the role of Senior VP for Product Development on Jon Rubinstein's team, but he has now switched allegiances to the blue team. Interestingly, though his address might change, his job spec will not -- Mike will act as Director of Smartphone Product Development in Intel's Ultra Mobility Group, where he'll "help build and lead a team to build breakthrough smartphone reference designs to accelerate Intel Architecture into the market." It's hard to imagine how Intel could signal its intent to be a big player in the smartphone realm any more forcefully. Click past the break for the full text of the internal email announcing Mike's arrival.
Xbox chief Shane Kim steps down, Spencer and Durkin promoted
After 19 years of working for gaming/computing software juggernaut Microsoft, Shane Kim will step down at the end of this year, according to a report from Gamasutra. His duties as vice president of strategy and business development for the company's Interactive Entertainment Business sector will be filled by Phil Spencer, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios, and Dennis Durkin, chief financial officer for the IEB division. When asked for his reasons for stepping down, Kim replied, "Well, the JoBro (ed: Jonas Brothers) are about to go on tour again, and, well, you know. You only live once, and that one life should be spent seeing as many JoBro (ed: Jonas Brothers) concerts as humanly possible." Okay, he didn't really say that. However, a Microsoft representative reportedly told Gamasutra that Kim "expressed a desire to spend more time with family, so that's why he's making his retirement." More details about the two-decade Microsoft veteran's departure should be coming in a press release soon. We wish Mr. Kim the best of luck with his newly acquired free time. [Image]
Netflix hires VP of partner products to focus on streaming devices
It's impossible to say what kind of impact Gregory K. Peters will have on Netflix as a whole, but one thing is for sure: we certainly dig his job description. Recently hired on by Netflix as the vice president of partner products, Mr. Peters will be responsible for "bringing to market a range of devices from leading consumer electronics manufacturers that are capable of instantly streaming movies and TV episodes from Netflix directly to consumers' TVs." The new role was established shortly after Netflix decided to deliver HD streaming to the Xbox 360 (and other boxes in the future), and it's a clear signal that the company understands the importance of digital downloads in a world currently dominated by physical discs. The overriding goal? To enable "all US households to stream Netflix to their TVs." Looks like ole Greg will be putting those degrees in physics and astrophysics to good use, huh? Full release is after the jump.
Gamestop VP says Wii supply will be 'much, much better' this holiday
We're getting some conflicting viewpoints on the Wii supply this holiday season from Gamestop's upper management. While CEO Dan DeMatteo is of the mind that there is no end in sight for Wii shortages, one of the company's vice presidents is telling us a different story. It's VP of Merchandising Bob McKenzie, to be exact, and he thinks that things this holiday will be ""much, much better than it has been the last two years."McKenzie elaborated further, saying that he can't guarantee they "will be in stock every day throughout the holiday season," but feels confident that the "current flow we've seen coming from Nintendo on Wii hardware" will help them meet their business model. Some of our readers point out that they see Wii consoles sitting on shelves collecting dust all of the time, but what about areas with dense population such as major cities? Will they be seeing some relief finally? We guess we'll just have to wait and see how things go in the next couple of months.[Via Joystiq]
NCsoft North America promotes new VP of sales
NCsoft has recently announced the promotion of Lisa Bell-Cabrera to the position of vice president of sales for the publisher's North American business. Previously serving as national sales manager at NCsoft since 2005, this promotion gives Bell-Cabrera the responsibility of overseeing strategic sales initiatives across multiple sales channels both in North and South America.Previous to her time spent with NCsoft, she served as vice president of sales at Atari, director of sales at GT Interactive and director of market development at Go Daddy. "This is my dream job," she states. "The online gaming industry is moving at an incredible pace these days and keeping up with how our customers make their purchase decisions requires a willingness to try new things. That's what NCsoft is all about. There couldn't be a better opportunity in this business."We certainly wish her the very best in her new position!
Get to know Nintendo's new marketing chief
With the Regginator busy being all presidential, Nintendo's been in bad need of a new chief marketing officer to take names and kick ass. That new officer is Cammie Dunaway, who will officially start directing the company's $80+ million annual marketing budget on Monday.In honor of the transfer, Marketing Daily has a quick profile of the former Yahoo! and Frito-Lay marketer, who's wasting no time in spreading the message that Nintendo products are fun for the whole family. "I've seen the excitement on my nine-year-old son's face when he's playing a Pokemon game on his DS and spots someone else at the airport playing, too," Dunaway said. "Then I see my mom, who's in her 70s, having fun playing Wii bowling. Myself, I've started to play brain-training games." Take it easy, Cammie ... you don't start for three more days.The article also details some of Dunaway's previous marketing efforts for Yahoo! Answers, which included building a giant purple brain in New York's Times Square. Here's hoping that a giant, polygonal Dr. Kawashima head is forthcoming.
AMD's chief sales and marketing officer resigns
According to an article recently put out by The Wall Street Journal, Advanced Micro Devices' chief sales and marketing officer Henri Richard is stepping down. Reportedly, AMD's top sales exec "decided to leave AMD because of another job opportunity," although we aren't told where exactly he'll be heading. The firm is supposedly planning to "formally announce Mr. Richard's resignation" soon, but attempts to contact the chip maker for comment were apparently in vain.[Via Hexus, thanks Arneh]
Universal Studios VP sez HD DVD is 'more affordable' than Blu-ray
As if the format war really needed another quote for fanboys on both sides to jump on and argue over, none other than Ken Graffeo (an executive vice president at Universal Studios) threw a proverbial can of lighter fluid right on the fire. Responding to the recent Target reports that misinterpreted Sony's purchase of an "end cap" for Blu-ray players as the ousting of HD DVD from the store, Ken went on to say that "standalone HD DVD players are still much more affordable than Blu-ray players," and moreover, he reportedly added that HD DVD provided a better experience, and welcomed a direct comparison between movies such as 300 and Blood Diamond, which are available on both formats. 'Course, there certainly seems to have been a lot more price cutting going on in the HD DVD camp of late, but regardless of price quarrels, what does this say about Universal's chances of actually supporting Blu-ray anytime soon?
PS3 could debut in Europe for 500 euros, says SCEE exec
La PlayStation Trois! French gamers must be familiar with that combination by now, and if a certain Sony executive gets his way, the PS3 could be appearing in Europe for as low as 500 euros this fall.Apparently George Fornay (president of Sony Computer Entertainment France and vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) confirmed to Generation Europe 1, in French, that the PS3 could be priced around the 500 euro mark, most likely between 499 euros and 599 euros. For the unfiltered French audio, try the Play button near the middle of Europe 1's podcast page here.Such an estimated figure may include Europe's Value Added Tax (VAT), so the final price range in the States might well be lower than the current U.S. currency equivalent of roughly $600-$725 for those many euros. Of course, who's to say whether Mr. Fornay was simply speculating on a local podcast or whether he actually exhibited loose lips before the French press?[Thanks, Fan; also via Joystiq]
