BlackBerry Experience to Get an Apple / Microsoft Influence?

What a way to have to start a new job. Don Lindsay will be arriving in Waterloo an internet celebrity by the time this story is through. According to Apple Insider, it seems RIM has hired Don on to lead a new team of designers. Their task? Improving the BlackBerry user experience. A solid ambition, but the newsworthy part of the deal here lies in Don's past, as his previous employers include both Apple and Microsoft where he played a key role in shaping core products.

Apple '94 - 2003: As Design Director of the Mac OS User Experience Group, he led what was called the "Mac OS X interface concept project" and directed the design team responsible for the user experience of Mac OS X 10.0 "Cheetah" through Mac OS X 10.3 "Panther," which included the company's first-generation of iLife digital lifestyle applications. 

Microsoft - 2003 till leaving for RIM: In October of 2003, Lindsay was lured away from the Mac maker by Microsoft for a key software architecture position overseeing future Windows user experience explorations. Many of his key contributions wound up in Windows Vista components, according to his LinkedIn page, such as the AERO Glass interface and SKU/hardware tiering strategy, Glass Colorization, Flip3D, Alt-tab, window animations, and the Windows Calendar. 

Gotta love it. Microsoft steals him from Apple, and now RIM steals him from Microsoft. Let's hope Don can take all that experience and further WOW all of us BlackBerry Addicts in the months and years ahead. If you have any tips/suggestions for Don of what you'd like to see come to the BlackBerry user experience, be sure to drop it in the comments.

[ TheiPhoneblog via Apple Insider via MocoNews ]

CrackBerry.com's feed sponsored by ShopCrackBerry.com. BlackBerry Experience to Get an Apple / Microsoft Influence?