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Apple bolsters its TV unit with more top Sony talent
Seasoned execs from the world of network television are dotted all around video services. Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon have all made big hires from TV land to help boost original programming. And, it seems Apple has been taking notes. Keen to launch its own competitive line-up of exclusive shows, the tech giant is adding yet more execs to its TV unit. The same unit that has $1 billion to play around with for new content. And, that may one day shoot its productions on its very own Hollywood studio lot. You can't accuse Apple of being shy about its ambitions.
Scientists release huge set of exoplanet-detecting observations
If you've always wanted to find exoplanets, now's your chance to help. A team of scientists from MIT, Carnegie Mellon and other universities have released a huge dataset containing 61,000 individual measurements of more than 1,600 nearby stars. All the measurements came from two decades of observations made by the HiRES spectrometer, which is mounted on a 33-foot telescope at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, using a technique called radial velocity method. Simply put, the scientists used the tool to detect the tiny wobble stars make in response to the gravity of an orbiting planet. Thus, the dataset contains the date, the star's velocity, the error on that velocity and measurements of its activity during that observation.
Sony makes a pun out of some pretty Hi-Res Audio headphones
It seems like with every new phone, Sony has a new accessory to plug. Presenting the pun-ful "H.ear On" headphones. They're over-ear cans that are supposedly at their best when playing back Sony's Hi-Res Audio. Of course, they'll need to be paired with a compatible device -- like one of its new Xperia Z5 family. For the audiophiles: The H.ear On are closed-back headphones with fairly low impedance (24 Ohm) 40mm drivers, 5Hz - 60,000Hz frequency response and 103dB/mW sensitivity. For the rest of you: pretty colors! They'll cost $200 this November and come in an "exciting array of colors" including Bordeaux pink, cinnabar red and (our favorite) lime yellow.
Pinterest hires two former Apple execs to lead engineering and design
Pinterest is doing really well - we're talking $5 billion valuation-level well. And to cement its status as a mega-success, the site has scooped up two former Apple execs to lead engineering and product design. First up is Michael Lopp, who worked on Mac OS X before moving to software company Palantir. As head of engineering, he'll help scale site infrastructure and lead product development teams. On the product design side, Pinterest's appointed Bob Baxley, who worked on Apple's online store. His official title will be head of product design and research.
Microsoft hires former Valve developer liaison to bolster Windows gaming
The future of Microsoft's digital game distribution systems just got brighter. Jason Holtman, who was heavily involved with the growth of Valve's Steam platform, has been hired by Redmond. According to a statement he gave Gamesindustry International, he'll work to flesh out Windows' native gaming and entertainment efforts. That isn't plausible without developer support though, and given his history as a liaison between devs and Valve, he'll be putting those skills to work to "make that happen" at his new gig. However, seeing that Microsoft's other gaming platform is taking the majority of the company's focus right now, we don't expect many new details about Holtman's duties to surface that soon.
Samsung lures former BlackBerry UK chief for EU business unit
When Rob Orr left his role as BlackBerry's UK and Ireland chief earlier this month, we knew it wouldn't be long before another company sought out his skills. Turns out, his final destination has been Samsung, where the seven-year RIM veteran will take up a vice presidential role in the Korean giant's business-to-business telecoms operation. There's an official release from Samsung after the break, but we'd have preferred it if Orr had posted something amusing to his Linkedin.
Fisker lands former GM exec and Chevy Volt guru Tony Posawatz as CEO
Fisker hasn't had what you'd call the best year so far, but it may have found the ticket to turning its hybrid vehicle business around. Meet Tony Posawatz, Fisker's new CEO -- and, until just weeks ago, GM's Vehicle Line Director. Despite being the second new chief executive at Fisker since Tom LaSorda arrived in February, Posawatz needs little explanation for his sudden rise to power. He's an original member of the Chevy Volt leadership structure and could very well know a thing or two about developing a hybrid car from start to finish. His influence might only be keenly felt when the Atlantic wheels its way towards driveways in 2014, but there's no doubt he's onboard to right the good ship Karma and improve Fisker's reputation in the short term. We wouldn't want to be in GM's shoes as it watches one of its EV-friendly veterans so publicly jump ship, however.
HTC picks former AT&T exec Mike Woodward as North American president
HTC has been fighting to get a better relationship with US carriers lately, and it may have just chosen a clever (if roundabout) approach: hire one of their executives. As of today, AT&T's former phone portfolio VP Mike Woodward is now HTC's president of its North American division, reporting directly to worldwide sales head Jason Mackenzie. The new position won't necessarily get him any privileged access, but it certainly gives HTC someone who's well versed in what carriers want out of a device launch. We'll have to wait awhile to see what Woodward's strategy will be; suffice it to say that the company wants more One X-level anticipation and fewer of those bumpy, Inspire 4G-like releases.
Nintendo takes on Disney veteran as senior VP for digital in US, gets serious about this whole internet thing
Nintendo hinted it was improving its notoriously rudimentary online access with word of the Nintendo Network early this year, and was even more adamant at E3 about making a big push into digital video. Some have accused the company of nothing but flag-waving -- if that's true, the waving is about to turn into a full parade through a new hire. As of July 1st, Nintendo is bringing on Disney's former Interactive Media Group senior VP Duncan Orrell-Jones to take on the just-minted role of senior VP for the company's Network Business group in the US. He'll be handling the overall American digital strategy, which covers both gaming as well as content. We'll need to wait awhile before we see the results, but if it helps make sure friend codes never rise from the dead to haunt our Wii U, we're all for it.
Former iAd executive Mike Owen moves to AdColony
Mike Owen, who worked at Apple on iAd, has left the company to join the mobile video ad network AdColony. Owen was a senior manager in the New York office for iAd, but is now one of three recent high-profile hires at AdColony. He's also one of a few big exits from Apple's iAd program, the others being former VP Andy Miller, and Larry Albright, both former Quattro executives who joined Apple when that company was acquired. Apple's iAd service has been having some trouble. The company is trying to provide premium ads to developers for their iOS apps, but high prices and low clickthroughs have made the business slow. That doesn't mean iAd is done, however. The company has also made a few big hires recently, and with Apple's cash reserves, iAd's got plenty of room to breathe as it finds both its audience and more clients.
38 Studios staffing up with MMO vets for Amalur
Now that Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is out and available, 38 Studios may be in a position to return to its storied "Project Copernicus." A few recent hires at Curt Schilling's studio make it seem that way. 38 has picked up both John Blakely, who worked on DCUO and Everquest 2, and Mark Hanson, who was involved with the now-extinct Lego Universe Online. Blakely will serve as 38's senior VP of development, while Hanson will be senior VP of operations and business.Of course, both of those positions are fairly high up on the management chain, so they don't necessarily mean that 38 is right in the midst of Copernicus' main development just yet. But given that Kingdoms is out with solid sales numbers to back it up, it wouldn't be too surprising to see 38 Studios itching to get rolling on its MMO title set in the land we now know as Amalur.
Mojang acquires Minecraft mod makers, will make mods official
The four main developers behind Bukkit, a popular set of unofficial modifications for Minecraft servers, have been hired on by Mojang, makers of the uber popular block-world simulator. Mojang says Warren Loo, Erik Broes, Nathan Adams and Nathan Gilbert will join the company to update Bukkit and make it more compatible with the next version of the game, and to enable support other server mods in the future.Loo writes on the official forms that the team will basically redesign the game's API, which means unofficial developers everywhere will be able to hook into the game's mechanics much more easily and smoothly. Mojang points out that there are a few teams that have made popular mods for the game, including Spout and Forge, but the Bukkit team was chosen because they've developed specifically for Minecraft servers. The plan is to have them working on "more than just modding."Obviously, the gentlemen are quite excited about joining the Mojang guys. That tends to happen when a company whose game you work on for free decides to start paying you in real money.
Apple hires Microsoft Data Center manager
You can add even more kindling to the rumor fire burning around Apple's new data center in North Carolina. AllThingsD reports that the company picked up Kevin Timmons as a new employee; he's been working as Microsoft's Manager of Data Center services since 2009. Microsoft confirmed that he left this week, and while it's unclear exactly where he's headed, rumor has it that he'll be with the gang in Cupertino. Timmons also worked in a similar role at Yahoo!, so he seems like the perfect candidate to help kick off a new cloud service for Apple, if indeed that's what the company is working on. Of course, rumors have been flying for a long time about some type of data center-based service around iTunes or some other, but we'll have to wait a little while longer (probably WWDC?) to see just what Apple (and now Mr. Timmons) is working on.
Apple reportedly hires top UK gaming PR execs from Nintendo and Activision
As you may have noticed, Apple has been more serious about gaming lately that it was even during its Pippin-fueled haze in the mid-1990s, and it's now offering yet more evidence of just how invested it is with a pair of new hires. While the company isn't confirming the move just yet, MCV is reporting that Apple has snatched up Nintendo UK's former head of communications, Rob Saunders, who just left the big N last week and will apparently be focusing on PR for iOS apps at Apple. What's more, he'll reportedly be joined at Apple by former Activision PR director Nick Grange, who's said to be focusing specifically on the iPad -- which, as we've seen, can be a pretty versatile gaming device in its own right.
Microsoft's Ventura could be a cloud music / video platform, have something to do with Zune
Zune hasn't gotten much love from Microsoft as of late, but that might change over time -- ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley noticed that the company is staffing up for a cloud-based multimedia project (by a group known as "Ventura Media Services") directed at PCs, TVs and mobile devices. "The team is a tight group of music and video lovers that create services and experiences revolving around music/video discovery and consumption," read a series of job postings that date back at least as far as July of 2010, calling for software developers in Beijing and Redmond who are familiar with the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. (Two of them have "Zune" in the job title.) While it's hard to say if this project is a major focus for Microsoft no matter how often the job posting says "large scale" (we count four times) it'd definitely be nice to have some competition for Google and Apple when they start drawing the multimedia-streaming battle lines. [Thanks, zblack]
GDC 2011: The future of Imangi Studios
The husband and wife team of Keith Shepherd and Natalia Luckyanova make up Imangi Studios, the iPhone developer behind line-drawing hit Harbor Master. We've been following the duo for a while now, and we last talked to them at WWDC, when they were pretty far along in development with a game called Max Adventure, a dual-stick shooter with a plucky kid with a laser gun for a hero. Max Adventure was released last December (and has since been updated), and Imangi tells me at GDC that the launch went well -- mostly. "It was the best launch we've had on our own," says Shepherd, adding that both the ratings and sales numbers were great after the game released in mid-December. "But then...," says Luckyanova, trailing off. Then, it turns out, came the EA sale, filling the App Store charts with 99-cent sales of premium EA titles, and Imangi's carefully crafted Max Adventure got "crushed" in the Christmas rush. But the best part of the story is what happened next: a little while after Imangi had a blue Christmas, EA called them. The company liked Imangi's games and wanted to talk about a possible publishing deal.
Nokia USA president is out, replaced by Microsoft vet Chris Weber as Elopocalypse continues
Conspiracy theorists unite: Nokia's replaced another prominent executive with a former Microsoft employee. In this case, it's the head of Nokia's entire US division that's being oustered, as 15-year Microsoft sales and marketing veteran Chris Weber replaces Nokia Inc. president Mark Louison effective immediately. Mark will "pursue new career opportunities" while Weber takes the reins, as well as the somewhat unenviable role of rejuvenating Nokia's smartphone brand in the United States. Still, we imagine he'll have plenty of help, as he'll be working very, very closely with his alma mater in the months to come -- and the designs practically sell themselves. PR after the break.
Amazon steals Microsoft's Director of Game Platform Strategy for some reason
Amazon's gaming related job postings are starting to bear exotic fruit having just nabbed Microsoft's Director of Game Platform Strategy, Andre Vrignaud. Vrignaud started with Microsoft in 2002 as Director of Xbox Live Platform Strategy and more recently helped manage Microsoft's overall gaming platform strategy with a hand in figuring out how to roll out Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7. Obviously, this leads to speculation that Amazon is looking to expand further into digital games as it's already done with music, video, and digital books. And with Amazon working on non-Kindle hardware with ambitions for dual-screen readers, well, we'd say the question isn't what, but when?
Apple hires NFC expert to manage mobile commerce, prepare to pay with your iPhone
Don't look now, but things may be getting real on the pay-with-your-cell-phone front, as Cupertino's hired a man with years of experience in enabling just that to finally get 'er done. According to his LinkedIn profile, Benjamin Vigier is Apple's new Product Manager of Mobile Commerce, immediately following his handiwork on PayPal Mobile, Sprint MyMoneyManager and the iPhone-based Starbucks Card. Before that, he spent two years heading SanDisk's mobile commerce and near-field communication efforts and over a year doing NFC for Bouygues Telecom, so it's not much of a stretch to imagine the futuristic concert tickets depicted in Apple's recent patent applications might become reality before long. Either that, or he'll wind up on a completely unrelated project, only to leave under mysterious circumstances later on.
Google hires Mark DeLoura as game 'developer advocate'
[DeLoura at Johnny Rockets, 2006; gamedev.net] Industry veteran Mark DeLoura begins his position as "developer advocate" of games at Google today, ending a 34-month stint as a game technology consultant. DeLoura has traded numerous jobs and advisory roles in the industry since beginning as a lead engineer for Nintendo in 1995. Having once served as manager of developer relations for Sony Computer Entertainment America, DeLoura becomes the second former SCEA man to be hired by Google within its lively loosely defined games division. Until April 2009, Bernie Stolar, the first executive VP of SCEA, was known as Google's "game evangelist" for two years. In his new role at Google, DeLoura will work with game developers, both "traditional" and "new," to provide support for and information about creating games for Google's various platforms, which could include Android, O3D (its open-source web API) and the in-progress Chrome OS. DeLoura described the developer advocate position as "both inward- and outward-facing" and suggested that he will seek to make it "easier for developers to express themselves and share the experiences they create" for Google. As for the Google mission, DeLoura said, "They seek to build platforms by working interactively with their partners, providing a big tent so everyone can get involved." Big tent, huh? Sounds like there's at least a free lunch in it for any developer open to taking a peek at what Google's offering.
