Google picks up webOS Enyo team, Open webOS still on track
updated 05:33 am EDT, Fri May 25, 2012
Google picks more former webOS team members
Google is said to have hired the core employees of the webOS Enyo HTML 5 development project team. According to The Verge, the team members were hired individually by Google, but will regroup as a team when they start work with the search giant. Enyo is an HTML5-based application framework for webOS and plays an integral part in HP’s plans to open-source the mobile OS. HP has since issued as statement saying that the staff departures will not impact its planned late 2012 release schedule for Open webOS.
This is not the first time that Google has picked up some of software engineering talent behind webOS. Android design chief Matias Duarte was a central figure in the development of webOS when he was at Palm (ahead of HP’s doomed acquisition). About six members of the Enyo team are said to be headed to Google, including Matt McNulty, who had been heading up the project. The remaining members will presumably continue supporting Enyo development, unless HP decides to scrap it as part planned restructure.
While rejoining Matias Duarte on the Android project is one possibility, the team could have been brought in to help with Google’s Chrome OS efforts. Their knowledge of HTML5 frameworks could help to bolster the Chrome Web Store developer framework.
