PaulMercer
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Palm hires ex-Apple designer, puts iPhone in its sights
Even though Palm's Ed Colligan may not like it, Apple did go and "just walk in" to the mobile phone space when it announced the iPhone last month: fortunately for consumers, the company is starting to change its attitude towards the "Mac guys," thanks in part to the innovative software that makes up a significant proportion of the iPhone's appeal. So what exactly is the company doing to respond to this threat? Well, for one thing, the company recently hired Paul Mercer, a former Apple computer engineer with an extremely impressive resume. An Apple employee whom was the lead designer on the Finder team for Mac OS 7, Mercer also worked on the Samsung Z5 range, and founded Pixo, a company that original iPod owners may remember from the copyright section of that player: Pixo provided tools to develop the iPod's user interface. That sort of CV is exactly the type that Palm needs in order to tackle threats like the iPhone -- not least because of the guy's knowledge of the inner workings of Apple -- although it'll take more than just one clever mind in order to turn Palm around. Not that Palm has any choice in the matter: it either turns itself around [insert ultra-thin WiMAX phone here], or else.
Samsung pimps out 18K gold YP-Z5
In today's "because they can" moment, Samsung has decided that in order to truly celebrate the 1-millionth YP-Z5 DAP sold, they must take 10 of them, dip them in 18K gold, and then auction them off to people who like shiny things. As you probably know by now, this blingification isn't anything new in the consumer electronics biz. The units come with interface designer Paul Mercer's signature on the back and arrive in gold-leafed boxes. You may remember Paul Mercer from such interfaces as the iPod (he defected to help with the YP line). According to Samsung, these ultimate extravagances are expected to net at least 120,000 Yen ($1,040) each. Yepp.[Via DAPreview]
