Monday, July 8, 2013

Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch steps down; Michael Huseby appointed CEO of Nook Media


Barnes & Noble CEO William Lynch steps down Michael Huseby appointed CEO of Nook Media
Following reports earlier this year that Barnes & Noble may be sliding away from producing its own Nook hardware, the outfit's CEO has just stepped away from his corner office. Announced in a series of shuffles, William Lynch has resigned as chief executive officer and director of the company effective immediately, while Michael P. Huseby has been appointed CEO of the Nook Media division (as well as president of B&N as a whole).
The firm also announced that vice president Allen Lindstrom was being subsequently promoted to CFO, reporting to Huseby. Moreover, Kanuj Malhotra -- VP of corporate development, has been promoted to CFO of Nook Media. Chairman Leonard Riggio thanked Lynch for his leadership during an era where B&N emerged as a real rival to Amazon in the reader / tablet market, while the man himself said that he "appreciated the opportunity to serve as CEO over the last three years." As for his immediate plans? Kicking back on the shores of Ocracoke and reading a book... on a Nook, of course.

Virgin Media launches Play Games portal for TiVo


Virgin Media launches Play Games portal for TiVo
Many of us don't see TiVos as game consoles, but Virgin Media would beg to differ -- there have been over a million game sessions this year on its edition of the DVR. Accordingly, it just launched a Play Games portal to court this growing audience. Besides putting games in one handy location, the hub saves game states and ranks favorite titles. Virgin is also recruiting more developers to expand Play Games' fledgling catalog. While the casual gaming focus is unlikely to stop serious players from pre-ordering an Xbox One or PS4, it may be enough to keep TiVo owners on the couch long after their favorite show is over.

Nokia Lumia 1020 spotted in yellow, white and black, replete with 2GB of RAM

Nokia Lumia 1020 spotted in yellow, white and black, replete with 2GB of RAM
For those obsessed with obscene megapixel counts and Windows Phone, Thursday can't come soon enough. If rumors prove true, the renders shown above will be made official in around 72 hours, with the Lumia 1020 to debut in a flurry of hues -- yellow, black and white, specifically. Moreover, Windows Phone Central is reporting that the device previously known as EOS will ship with optical image stabilization built right in, 2GB of RAM (a boost from the 1GB found on most modern WP8 handsets) and 32GB of internal storage. Head on down to the source link for more... you know, given that waiting for the formal word isn't something you're prone to do.

Android's Jelly Bean contingent finally surpasses Gingerbread

Android's Jelly Bean contingent finally surpasses Gingerbread
It's a new era, we tell ya. An era where Google can finally say that its latest build of Android is also the one being used by the greatest majority of Android users. For over a year, Android 4.1+ has been the most up-to-date build of Google's mobile OS, and yet, the greatest majority of those accessing the Play Store were using a build that was bordering on antediluvian. According to the official Developers Dashboard, the percentages have slid to a point where Android Jelly Bean -- which encompasses 4.1.x and 4.2.x -- now represents 37.9 percent of Play Store users. Gingerbread (v2.3.3 through 2.3.7) has fallen to second place with 34.1 percent, while Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.3 through 4.0.4) holds down the bronze with 23.3 percent. Hit up the source link to view the full breakdown, and do us a solid -- if you know someone still using Donut, grab 'em a Christmas-in-July present.