Palm UI VP defects to Google

28.05.2010
Matias Duarte, formerly vice president of human interface and user experience at Palm, has left to take a job with Google, marking one of the first defections since Hewlett-Packard announced plans to buy the struggling phone maker.

Duarte will serve as user experience director for Android, Google said.

Prior to Palm, Duarte worked for Helio, a mobile virtual network operator, and before that Danger. Danger's co-founder, Andy Rubin, now heads development of Android for Google.

While Palm's WebOS phones have struggled to gain a foothold in the competitive smartphone market, the UI has been widely praised.