Noogler Poach — Google Nabs Top Maps and AR Engineer From Microsoft (Video)

A big talent leaves Microsoft.

Yahoo Says Mail Functionality Is Returning, but Some Users Might Be Missing Up to Two Weeks of Email

Return to sender, address unknown. No such number, no such zone.

News Byte

Kleiner Perkins Emphasizes Design With New Product Mentorship Program

Venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers announced on Wednesday the formation of ProductWorks, an initiative that will involve Kleiner partners lending design and product expertise to members of their portfolio companies. The new program — which will be led by Kleiner partner Bing Gordon — will also include partners Mike Abbott and Megan Quinn, as well as newly installed design partner John Maeda.

Facebook Wants to Be a Newspaper. Facebook Users Have Their Own Ideas.

It’s tough to make everyone happy. Can Facebook reconcile its high-minded design ideals with the interests of users and publishers?

Amazon Builds the Spheres, While Google Opts for the Hulk

Analog is the new digital.

AOL Turns Moviefone Over to BermanBraun for Reboot

Press one for a much-needed overhaul of the service that still lives in 1999.

Twitter Tweaks Its Welcome Screen to Better Explain Itself

A subtle set of changes on Twitter’s front door make for a simpler explanation of the service.

Sex Toy Story: Jimmyjane’s Ethan Imboden Wants to Make Vibrators as Common as iPhones

In an interview with AllThingsD, Jimmyjane founder Ethan Imboden talks about differences between designing a cellphone and sex toys, and the mainstreaming of high-tech vibrators.

Apple’s Mission

One of the ironies is that, from a design point of view, we feel that we’ve done our job when you finally get to that point and you think, “Well, there couldn’t be a rational alternative.” It appears inevitable. It almost appears like it wasn’t designed. Then we feel like we got it right, which is sort of semi-ironic, as a design team, to not make you feel like it was designed. But that’s what we try to do.

Jony Ive, in a joint interview that he and Craig Federighi gave to Bloomberg’s Sam Grobart

News Byte

Facebook for iOS 7 — Now With More Tabs

Facebook updated its mobile app for Apple’s iOS 7 release on Wednesday, adding a row of tabs to the bottom of the screen, among other iOS 7-centric design flourishes. (Which in itself is somewhat funny, considering competitor Twitter plans to do away with tabs in a forthcoming update.) The addition of tabs, said product manager Michael Sharon, is for improving user navigability through the app, which is already loaded with many features. The update goes live at noon PT, and is also compatible with iOS 6 and iOS 5 software.