Matias Duarte, designer behind Sidekick and Helio, now developing Palm's next-gen UI
By Ryan Block 
posted Jul 3rd 2008 7:31PM
posted Jul 3rd 2008 7:31PM
So we heard from a very reliable source that mobile user interface guru Matias Duarte -- who you may know as the man behind the Sidekick and Helio UI / user experiences -- actually left Helio late last year to join up with Palm. Although no announcement was made, we hear he and his gang of designers jumped ship (well before Helio completely flooded) to take on the monumental task of designing the UI for Palm's next-gen mobile OS (aka "Palm OS 2.0 or II"). His resume online now lists him as "Senior Director, Human Interface and User Experience" doing "Something new..." since September 2007; we got in touch with Palm, who confirmed that he's now under the company's employ.Of course, expectations should be pretty high -- Palm's only been promising this supposedly game-changing OS since around 2004, and the company's reputation and pedigree is (or at least it used to be) in groundbreaking mobile UI design. But this news also kind of makes us wonder: if they didn't have a killer UI and user experience team already in place and long-since working their asses off by late 2007, exactly how far along are they on this thing, anyway?
If this move doesn't show Palm's inability to be visionary in 2008, I don't know what does!
Stop rearranging the players and fooling with history engadged. PalmSource (now a part of Access since late 2005) failed to deliver updated OSes to Palm. Nobody wanted Cobalt, PalmSource abandoned it and turned their sights to PalmOS on Linux. That too was abandoned when Access bought them.
It was only after the Access acquisition and a new contract between Palm and Access was worked out that Palm finally had any legal ability to go it on their own with a new OS. Now that we think we know they have had a UI team for a bit, they might actually deliver product on the schedule that has been alluded to. OS late 2008, products first half 2009.
you should get your facts straight. the palm os linux platform was not abandoned. right now its called the access linux platform and access is still working on it. the linux platform is not intended for palm devices but for other companies like NTT Docomo, which plans to use this os later this year.
You guys arguing about who did what and when is like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Palm is sinking fast and I seriously doubt we'll see anything "next gen" in the OS department. They're so far behind the game that they'll be long dead by the time they stop screwing around with bringing in new teams and produce anything. It's the endgame. Time to stop pretending they have a clue and simply go Android. Blackberry ate Palm's lunch long ago. All they have left is the Hail Mary pass that is Android.
u sk @ posts.
My opinion on the matter is it will blow hard. Usually when things keep getting pushed back they tend to suck. Maybe the os will be great Palm's hardware still blows. I mean they're just getting USB 2.0 on the 800 series.
palms hardware is the same as any other smartphone. stop being stupid. u sk @ posts
Palm has a tough act to follow, being the originator of the easy to use PDA OS, which was then ported to cell phones. Anything they come up with will be compared to the best out there right now.
@KWW: If that was the case, Palm's been sucking exhaust fumes from S60 and WM for years. The sight of the truck they were run over by keeps getting smaller and smaller as Palm just lies there like early 1990s roadkill.
stop using bad metaphors instead of a lack of intelligence and real opinion on the post and matter at hand. u sk @posts.
wow, Spoke, i'm a palm supporter too.
but you are just embarrassing.
"using bad metaphors instead of a lack of intelligence"... you mean because of a lack of intelligence?! You should get your ducks in a row before criticizing others.
"Hello, you have reached Matias Duarte at Palm. I am taking a yearlong leave of absence and have suspended work on all projects. If you have questions about the new Palm operating system, please press 1 for Janice and I will answer them when I return."