jallard
Latest
The story of the Duke, the Xbox pad that existed because it had to
Denise Chaudhari had never touched a gamepad before stepping onto Microsoft's campus as a contractor. The first woman to join the Xbox team, Chaudhari had studied ergonomics and industrial design at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design but didn't have any experience with joysticks. That's part of why Xbox's Jim Stewart was so excited to bring her on board: Her ideas wouldn't be based on preconceived notions of what a gamepad had to be. It was early 2000, and the company was preparing to enter the gaming world with the Xbox. In Nov. 2001, the console was released in North America alongside the Duke, a controller that seemed comically large compared to its contemporaries. Within a year, the oversize gamepad was abandoned by Microsoft and replaced with a smaller model, but the Duke has had an impact on every controller since.
CNET details the death of Microsoft's Courier and Bill Gates' 'allergic reaction'
For those that follow the twists and turns of the technology news business, the Microsoft Courier has practically become the stuff of legend. First leaked on Gizmodo in the fall of 2009, the device was never even officially confirmed by Microsoft until it axed the project in April of last year. And while we wound up learning quite a bit about the dual-screen tablet despite that lack of official information, we never really got the full story of its rise and fall within the company. Now CNET's Jay Greene has published an extensive look at the device's short history, which he says was "pieced together through interviews with 18 current and former Microsoft executives, as well as contractors and partners who worked on the project." The story, as you might expect, is fascinating -- read on for some of the details.
Microsoft shutters Pioneer Studios, we pour one out for J Allard
It's been about a year since he left Microsoft, but the J Allard era came to a more definitive close yesterday, with the shuttering of his brainchild, Pioneer Studios. Microsoft opened the incubation lab more than three years ago as an entrepreneurial space where designers could toy around with new consumer technologies. The tragically shelved Courier tablet was first developed within Pioneer's exposed brick walls, where Allard and his Alchemy Ventures team also worked on the Xbox, Zune and Windows Phone 7. Now, however, a Microsoft spokeswoman has confirmed that the downtown Seattle office is no longer occupied, telling CNET that many of the lab's employees have either left, or moved on to different positions within the company. Pioneer co-founder Georg Petschnigg left Microsoft in April to pursue an "undisclosed new venture," while fellow godfather Jonathan Harris is still at Redmond, where he serves as "principle experience director," according to their respective LinkedIn profiles. The spokeswoman didn't offer a specific reason for the decision, but in a now-ominous video posted to Microsoft's developer site back in October, Petschnigg acknowledged that the unit's innovative spirit would frequently lead to dead ends. "Often times our work just doesn't go anywhere," he explained, adding that Pioneer would only pursue projects expected to bring in more than $100 million a year. "That's one of the perils of being an entrepreneur." See the full video after the break.
Entelligence: Market caps and dunce caps
Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he'll explore where our industry is and where it's going -- on both micro and macro levels -- with the unique wit and insight only he can provide. The buzzword of last week was "market cap." To those unfamiliar, market cap is the total value of outstanding shares of a company, and on May 26th at around 3PM Eastern, Apple's market value reached $225.1 billion, surpassing Microsoft's $222.3 billion. Apple isn't the largest technology company around, but it's become the most valuable, and it's valuation is second only to Exxon in the US. Later that same week, Microsoft announced that Robbie Bach and J Allard, the head of its Entertainment and Devices group and the division's CTO, were both leaving the company. There's been speculation that these two events were somehow intertwined, but I don't think that's the case. In addition, as good as Robbie and J are, there's more to the E & D team than two people -- as grandpa used to say, the cemeteries are full of people who couldn't be replaced. Historically, Microsoft has always been two companies, the parts that made lots of money (Windows, Office, Server) and the parts that don't make money yet but might someday soon. E & D is the latest incarnation of the latter. Let's take a closer look.
Robbie Bach: Project Natal a 'midlife kicker' for Xbox 360, 'absolutely confident' Courier innovations will appear elsewhere
Now that the proverbial cat's out of the bag, Tech Flash has caught up with Robbie Bach about his impending retirement from Microsoft. In a far-reach interview, the former President of Entertainment & Devices Division says he made his ultimate decision just last Thursday, and that while he and also-gone J Allard "had been talking [Allard's] situation for awhile," the conversation never went both ways and the timing of the departures is "pure coincidence... serendipity." Bach further claims that it was his choice and was not asked to leave, and as for pundits who might've thought he was in line for one day taking the reins from CEO Steve Ballmer, Bach downplays that possibility and says he never had interest and such discussions never took place. But enough business talk, what about some of the projects Bach oversaw? There were a couple choice quotes we noted from the report. First up is Natal, a motion-sensing project that he views as a "midlife kicker for the [Xbox] 360." For those watching a calendar, that would give the console an approximately nine-year perceived lifespan on the corporate side -- from November 2005 to 2014. Of course, we could be reading too much into that, but we could certainly believe it. On the subject of Courier, Microsoft's now-cancelled internal tablet project, Bach is "absolutely confident... a bunch of that innovation will show up in Microsoft products." It's a stronger wording that what we originally read, and given just how excited we were watching that leaked video, we can only hope his prophecy is foretold. Do yourself a favor and take 15 minutes to read through the interview -- hey, you're welcome.
Microsoft's Robbie Bach and J Allard leaving as part of broader shakeup; Xbox and Windows Phone teams now reporting directly to Ballmer
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 Mattrick 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.
WSJ: Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division getting a 'shakeup,' J Allard expected to leave
We were surprised enough to hear tales of J Allard possibly leaving Microsoft, but the Wall Street Journal is painting a bigger picture, saying "the organizational shakeup is broader than Mr. Allard's departure." We're taking that to mean there could be a larger changing of the guard here, particularly since the article is worded somewhat oddly and seems to imply the reshuffling could reach even Entertainment and Devices Division president Robbie Bach. As for Allard, WSJ reaffirms Mary Jo Foley's earlier report that there's a strong correlation between his departure and the Courier's swan song. An announcement pertaining to these moves is said to potentially come as early this week, so stay tuned -- this could be big.
J Allard leaving Microsoft over Courier axing?
Well, it looks like the Courier's demise could be having some far bigger implications for Microsoft than anyone had suspected. According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft's Chief Experience Officer and CTO for its Entertainment and Devices division, J Allard, has been on sabbatical from the company for the past short while and is "unlikely to return" -- all due to the fate of the Courier. According to Foley's sources, Allard was "the champion" of the Courier, and had reportedly made his feelings about the device and its ultimate demise clear on numerous occasions -- including, of course, directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. According to another of Foley's sources, things eventually got so heated that Ballmer "showed Allard the door" because of their disagreements about the Courier's potential. So, did he jump or was he pushed? Microsoft isn't saying, and Allard is seemingly nowhere to be found.
J Allard's 'Magic Wand' patent application for Microsoft puts Nintendo, sorcerers on notice
It's been awhile since we've heard from J Allard; the man who assumed responsibility for Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division (think: Zune and Xbox) in mid 2008 in an effort to unify the experience into a centralized package. Now Microsoft's CTO and CXO (that's, Chief eXperience Office) has co-signed a patent application for a "Magic Wand" first filed in November of 2007 and made public just a few days ago. The patent application reads very much like a Wiimote, hand-held controller,"The architecture can utilize one or more sensor from a collection of sensors to determine an orientation or gesture in connection with the wand, and can further issue an instruction to update a state of an environmental component based upon the orientation." It's worth remembering that Microsoft has been rumored to be working on such a controller since at least August 2007. Something they've apparently scrapped for a camera-based solution that will allow gamers to control the action with their bodies and hand-gestures without requiring a hand-held controller -- you know, if current rumors are true. How many days until Microsoft's June 1st E3 press conference again?[Via TechFlash]
J Allard, CXO, surfaces at Microsoft C-level
J Allard, previously of Veep stature, has been elevated to the position of CXO (Chief eXperience Officer) and CTO of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division. That puts the man synonymous with the Zune, Xbox, and once questionable, 80's style in charge of "the technical architecture and user experiences related to products and services of the Entertainment and Devices (E&D) division." He's also cracking the whip on the E&D's "incubation team" responsible for scouting out new opportunities for the division. You know, like the Zune Phone, Xbox 360 with Blu-ray, and Microsoft Surface Sphere. Thus making him the most important man inside Microsoft... from our perspective anyway.[via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
J Allard talks failure, hope, convergence of Zune and Xbox services
J Allard, the mysterious, bedreadlocked, Lex Luthor-ish cat behind the Xbox, Zune and Zune 2 (amongst others) sat down for a Q and A with the New York Times and revealed some deep feelings -- as well as future plans. Mainly, Mr. Allard talks about the hardships of dealing with record labels, the failure of the first Zune to penetrate the market, his hopes for the current generation of Redmond-anointed media players to kill, kill, kill, and the fact that a "Zune Phone" isn't anywhere close right now (though doesn't seem to be off the table). On the flip side, he hints at a future of merged Microsoft services, where you'll be able to order up music, games, and videos on demand -- all in one, centralized package. Says J, "Today we have Xbox live for $50 a year. We have Zune Pass at $15 a month. We don't have a rationalized premium version yet. Fast forward a little bit, and you can image a menu like DirecTV. There is basic, there is enhanced, there is movie pack and NFL Sunday ticket." Of course, right now it's just a crazy tripped-out dream floating around the mind of J Allard... let's hope it floats onto our screens soon.Read - J Allard: Microsoft's Plan to Be King of All MediaRead - J Allard: The Failures of the Zune and the Record LabelsRead - J Allard: Dancing Around the Cellphone Question
Games on Zune? Don't hold your breath, says Allard
It seems as if everyone wants in on the gaming scene these days: jocks, cheerleaders, your mom. Even Apple wants a slice of the pie. But not Microsoft's J Allard, and in a recent interview the former Xbox zealot and current Zune front man shared his thoughts on why he feels Zune owners shouldn't expect to be playing Bejeweled or Pac-Man on Microsoft's iPod rival anytime soon. Granted he still has a full nine months to change his mind. Microsoft previously toyed with the idea of releasing games on the portable, though with a new line of Zune devices hitting retail shelves this week, Allard addressed his particular concerns with bringing games to the Zune format, specifically surrounding customer satisfaction and portability of purchased games as hardware advances from one generation to the next. While Microsoft's move into the portable gaming space has been long awaited, we agree that it's good that Allard is voicing these sorts of concerns up front, rather than carelessly jumping into portable gaming sight unseen.Still, the executive managed to leave the door open for Zune gaming by praising what Microsoft has managed to pull off in getting its XNA development platform to work with a variety of different types of hardware, though, Allard adds, "the Zune isn't playing Halo 3 anytime soon." Good thing, Allard my boy, since the idea of getting teabagged on the commute home is enough to ruin anyone's day.
J Allard says no Zune Phone on the horizon, Zune tattoo guy weeps
The funkiest and freshest dude in Redmond, J Allard, has once again reached out to the people and dropped straight-up knowledge in regards to Zune Phone rumors. According to the report, during an interview with Reuters Allard shrugged off the chatter, saying that the company was focusing on the new Zunes at the present time. It would have seemed like a total dead-end, but the Microsoft exec then noted that the Zune was built on top of Windows Mobile, and added that the giant has, "The flexibility to take these in a different direction where [sic] our customers, our partners and we are ready." Sure, some new product would be nice, but let's be honest folks -- why would you need to make a phone when everyone is running your software anyway?
Microsoft doesn't think Sony can stick to single PS3 SKU
Since Microsoft apparently didn't suffer enough indignity with the whole J Allard-in-dreads happenings -- we were sure our caption contest sealed the deal -- another Xbox exec has gone on record making predictions on Sony hardware, unfortunately without similarly high stakes. Xbox director of technical strategy Andre Vrignaud is betting a steak dinner with the staff of Level Up that Sony's going to hit the market with a $399 PS3 SKU by Black Friday 2007. His thinking is that Sony won't want to stick with a $599 80GB PS3 as its sole offering, and therefore will drop the 80 gigger to $499 and supplement it with a stripped down $399 40GB PS3 that skips out on WiFi, a memory card reader and backward compatibility. Of course, Sony's not talking much about SKUs ever since its total PR disaster on the 60GB price cut during E3, but that doesn't necessarily mean the company is ready to take a page out of Microsoft's book and go all PS3 "Core" on us.[Via GamesIndustry.biz]
N'Gai Croal vs. MS attack dog in PS3 bet
N'Gai Croal from Newsweek done gone and did it again, he baited another Microsoft guy into a bet ... a gamble they'll probably lose. The new wager is between Croal and Xbox attack dog Andrew "Ozymandias" Vrignaud. The battle lines are that Ozy says there'll be a 40GB $399 version of the PS3 once the "clearance sale" is over. Croal says that once the 60GBs are gone in the next couple months, the 80GB version will drop down to the $499 mark. Sadly, Croal's dreads are not up for grabs this time, it is merely a very expensive steak dinner -- lame! We want the hair of Croal to hang from someone's mantel one day.Previously Croal won a bet against former Xbox poster boy J Allard regarding sales of the PSP. Allard eventually owned up to his side and had the picture you see at right taken. One day we'll get Croal in a wager he's sure to lose -- more importantly, we'll get his pretty dreads too.[Thanks Copa]
Caption contest: J Allard / N'Gai Croal mashup
So the story goes that Microsoft's bald J Allard and Newsweek's bedredlocked N'Gai Croal are at dinner together, and they make a bet: if the PSP sold 10m units faster than did the PS2, Allard has to dress up like N'Gai (during his next E3 keynote, which never came); if not, J gets to shave N'Gai's head. Guess who won. Not that we think of ourselves as particularly cruel, but surely we can't be expected to let this one go without a caption contest, can we?Evan: "After that unfortunate night with the Rastafarian gamers, Allard swore off marijuana forever."Ryan: "Headline: J Allard hired to manage Weird Al's White & Nerdy tour."Don: "You mean it doesn't cost an extra $100 to add WiFi to this thing?" [Snap! -Ed.]Paul: "Yeah, but does this come in Simpsons yellow?"Ross: "Behold the Zune Elite. Now with HD-UMD and minoxidil."
What is this? J Allard sporting dreadlocks
The lovable and somewhat forgotten Xbox poster child J Allard is back, sporting a new dreadful hairstyle with PSP in hand. So, what's this all about? Well, back in early 2005 J Allard and Newsweek's N'Gai Croal made a bet about the PSP's sales figures. Allard bet that the PSP wouldn't reach the PS2's sales success and N'Gai thought the opposite. Whoever lost the bet would have to don the other's hairstyle the the following E3, N'Gai would have to shave his head and Allard would get dreadlocks. And, you can see, N'Gai won the bet.But that was back in 2005 when the PSP surpassed the 10 million sales mark faster than the PS2, so why sport the dreadlocks now? Well, Allard soon left the Xbox team, jumped on board the Zune ship and sort of (conveniently) forgot about the little bet. That is until N'Gai reminded Allard 360 days later about their bet and so Allard made good on his promise by posting the story and his new "look" on his company bio page. Full size J Allard picture posted after the break. Take it in folks, dreads will be so "in" this Summer.[Via TeamXbox]
Xbox creator J Allard loses PSP bet, wears dreads
Microsoft VP and Xbox creator, J Allard made a bet with Newsweek's N'Gai Croal, that the PSP wouldn't be able to match the PS2 numbers when it came to units shipped over a 12-month period. Judging from the screenshot, we can tell who lost. Hey J, do those dreads itch? The bet originated from playful dinner conversation between Croal and Allard after E3 in 2005. If Sony hadn't managed to ship over 10 million, N'Gai would have had to "J Allard" his head. Yes sir, shaved bald. Although humorous, we're not entirely convinced the punishment is exactly fitting. Why not up the ante and increase the stakes a bit? Now, a more fitting gesture of good faith would be to snap a picture of a purchase order receipt (courtesy of J Allard) for 50 PSP units. An early Christmas gift for every hard worker in J's office. Or for those Halo fans, how about an agreement to instigate talks with the powers-that-be on porting some 1st party software to the PSP? After all, with that with that many units shipped, Microsoft would have a nice, big user base of which to unleash their gaming pleasures upon. Ooh, now we're talking. So how about it J? Any other numbers you want to bet against?[Via CVG]
Microsoft's J Allard finally honors lost bet, dons dreads
Though it took him almost a year, Xbox 360 poster boy and accident-prone mountain biker, J (no period) Allard, has finally stepped back into the internet spotlight, draped with a dread-full wig and the aura of defeat. The utterly disturbing image above is the result of a lost bet Allard entered into with Newsweek's N'Gai Croal. The wager? Sony's PSP would not ship 10 million units within twelve months, "give or take 3 months." Had Allard been the winner, he would have been awarded the opportunity to liberate Croal's intimidating locks. If not, he would have to slap a dread wig on his own, spectacularly bald head for an entire month and be seen with it during Microsoft's E3 2006 presentation. With Allard failing to show up during the conference, however, the lost bet was never honored. Not willing to let the matter go so easily, N'Gai most recently posted an investigation and interview into why people (hypothetically) fail to live up to their part of the bargain. We'd normally be trite and say something about "better late than never", but having spent a few seconds looking at Allard's new visage... we find ourselves leaning towards "never." [Via Level Up]
Ten concept cars enter, only one races in PGR4
While these flashy Peugeot concepts won't buck the trend of sports cars resembling electric shavers, one of them will be coming to a Xbox 360 near you via Project Gotham Racing 4. You may recall this contest from last September when it served as the unofficial announcement of PGR4. Not that anyone thought Microsoft's flagship racer wasn't getting another sequel, but hey, it was nice to know.The winning entry itself will be chosen by Peugeot, but that doesn't mean you can't choose the winner ... of your heart. Not all the vehicles look better suited for proper grooming as there's even a three-wheeler amongst the like of off-road warriors and tricked out 360 logos running on marbles.So which are you dying to take for a test drive? Do you think J Allard partakes in ghost riding his whip? Discuss.
