Microsoft has confirmed some major organizational changes to its Entertainment and Devices unit following the departure of Corporate Vice President Enrique Rodriguez, who has reportedly decided to pursue other interests. Under Rodriquez were teams for Zune Software & Services, Mediaroom IPTV and Media Center. Those have now been moved to Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB).
The IEB division is also part of Entertainment and Devices, and is in charge of Xbox development, Games for Windows and Microsoft Game Studios. “As a natural evolution of the Interactive Entertainment Business, our consumer products and experiences focused on games, movies, TV and music will move into IEB, led by SVP Don Mattrick. In addition, we’ve formed a new centralized E&D services infrastructure team, which will act as a combined resource across the division,” a spokesperson said.
“Finally, Enrique Rodriguez has decided to move on from his leadership position running the TV, video and music business and is evaluating his next career opportunity. The TVM first party business, Zune and Windows Medica Center will move to IEB, and Mediaroom, the TV platform business, will become a standalone group within E&D, reporting directly to (E&D) President Robbie Bach.”
The move has led to speculation that Microsoft may also move Windows Mobile away from the Entertainment and Devices unit, and put it under President Steven Sinofsky, who heads up development and strategies for Windows, Internet Explorer and Windows Live. Such a move would signal a change in the way Microsoft views the market for software developed for mobile platforms.
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Result for: handsets
According to sources speaking to Gizmodo, a Google-branded smartphone “is a certainty,” despite Google’s continual denial of such a device.
The sources say over the next month “Google Phones (most probably in early, prototype form) will flood the Mountain View campus. They’ll don large LCDs while running a new version of Android—either Flan or the version of Android beyond it—which our source spotted running on Google’s handset as well as a laptop.”
Gizmodo even offers that the current Android OS used by handsets such as the G1 and DROID is not “real” Android. We will see that “real” version soon enough, however.
Result for: handsets
T-Mobile, which exclusively has the G1 Android phone as well as the MyTouch3G and Cliq, has released some Android stats this week, including its forward plans for the Android Market.
According to MobileCrunch here are the stats from T-Mobile:
* Around 50% of myTouch users launch the Market app each day
* 80% of myTouch users launch the browser once a day, and roughly 66% launch it more than once a day
* More than 40% of myTouch users access social sites multiple times each day
* Roughly half of myTouch owners say they have “completely customized” their handsets, though that term seems a bit ambiguous
Perhaps the biggest note from the report is the upcoming addition of “Carrier Billing” to the Android Market. Until now, users needed a Google Checkout account to purchase any games or applications but with carrier billing you can download anything you want and it will be charged to your wireless bill at the end of the month.
The news should help developers sell more applications, and will also make the entire process as easy as click and purchase.
Additionally, T-Mobile will soon have its own Android Market channel and a T-Mobile Pack of 34 “recommended” apps.
