Adobe vs. Microsoft
This article by Andrew Orlowski of The Register talks about about Adobe (nee Macromedia) acquiring Mobile Innovation (MI), an outfit that designs smart phones and mobile user interfaces.
So Adobe, of PhotoShop and Adobe Acrobat (PDF) fame yearns to grow up and become a force in mobile device user interface. They will face Microsoft by leveraging Flash which they acquired via Macromedia.
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What makes this deal noteworthy is that Mobile Innovation designs phones as well as user interfaces. It’s an integrator, and Tier One handset manufacturers devolve a lot of design decisions to MI. It’s similar to Apple’s relationship with Tony Fadell’s design shop – which created the iPod – only on a larger scale. MI declines to mention which companies it works with because of confidentiality agreements with phone OEMs, and an opaque web site gives little clues as to what it really does.
But it’s well known amongst industry insiders that Mobile Innovation was responsible for the Nokia 9300 Communicator design and other high-end Symbian smartphones, Nokia’s Series 90 user interface, and Hildon, the GUI for Nokia’s Linux tablet. Both of the founders, CEO Jonathan Sulenski and CTO Matt Millar came from Symbian with Millar’s roots reaching back to Psion and the Series 5 PDA.
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Mobile Innovation CTO Matt Millar says:
“Now when you think about set top boxes, then the publisher can use the same services for creating content on a PC, a mobile phone, or TV. Our skills include what makes a great UI on a small device with only a few buttons, but a great display: and that’s the same challenge you have designing for a set top box.”
So MI will “create a mobile consulting practice for Macromedia and will form part of the Macromedia Consulting team in EMEA.”