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The Mog Log: Final Fantasy XIV's big fanfest reveals
Christmas came early for the forward-looking Final Fantasy XIV player this year. I know some people are upset at the fact that there were more revelations in the Japanese fan festival than in the ones in Vegas or London, but the timing is different. (I'd also point out that the expansion was announced in Las Vegas.) We've gone from having only a dim view of what's coming to having a pretty clear picture of what awaits through the next few month. One of the things that awaits is, of course, endless yelling about Machinist. Because boy. So let's start unpacking the stuff we learned from Tokyo. I say "start" because there is no way to get everything in one column, certainly not with deadlines and other considerations to take center stage. It's going to be a few months, but there's a lot to chew on just about 2.5, even if we ignore all of the expansion stuff, which I have no intention of doing.
webOS VP flies the coop, joins Numenta as marketing guru for imminent product launch
You probably don't know who Joe Hayashi is -- well, unless you skimmed his bio immediately above -- but he just departed one company that you might care about, and went to another one. Hayashi was VP of webOS product development at Palm / HP, and now he's become the VP of marketing at Numenta, also known as the place where Palm's founder (and two former CEOs) decided to stay after the Folio tanked. Numenta's kept fairly quiet during its six years of operation, except to describe a concept called "hierarchical temporary memory" which could lead to a form of artificial intelligence based on human learning schemes, but we imagine if it needs a marketing guy, the company's about ready to actually create something. For its part, Numenta agrees -- it's publicly stated that we'll see the technology in some sort of product later this year.
Rahul Sood joins Microsoft as GM for System Experience in the Interactive Entertainment Business
Yes, it's a big old mouthful of a job title, and no, we've no idea what exactly it entails either. Rahul Sood, the originator of the Voodoo gaming PC line, has just announced he has joined up with Microsoft to perform the ill-specified role of general manager for system experience in the Interactive Entertainment division. We imagine that's an intentionally loose definition, intended to give Rahul the wide remit of influence and operation that he enjoyed with his previous employer, HP. He's already had a few choice words to dish on the topic of Xbox versus PC gaming, so it'll be most intriguing to see where and how his energies are utilized as things move forward. Most intriguing indeed.
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?
