Nokia research lead jumps ship for TomTom
updated 12:40 pm EDT, Fri June 25, 2010
Nokia head of R&D team goes to TomTom
Nokia Head Technologist Charles Davies is leaving the phone maker in favor of TomTom, it was learned on Friday. Davies led a strategy and architecture team of 200 for Nokia research and development, and there is no word on who will replace him. TomTom confirmed the move, but has not yet released any specific information.
Davies as British computer maker Psion's first employee in 1981, and became Symbian's CTO in 2003. He holds a PhD in plasma physics and while at Psion, worked in a partnership with Nokia to create communicators, PDAs and messaging software that never made it into production. The user interface he helped create did show up in Nokia's widescreen phones and Linux-powered tablet.
It comes at a poor time for Nokia, as it as warned of sub-par results this spring and is counting on research to improve its standing against younger, more agile rivals like Apple and Google. [via The Register]
