Nokia redefines digital map landscape by introducing HERE as new brand for its location and mapping service  —  Nokia extends its service across devices and operating systems  —  Nokia announces new partnership with Mozilla and planned acquisition of 3D capture company, earthmine

In the Sinofsky Departure, Bill Gates Sided With the Other Steve (Ballmer) at Microsoft  —  Sometimes — even in the most complex of organizations, which software behemoth Microsoft most certainly is — it does come down to a simple choice.  —  And in the case of the seemingly sudden departure …

Transparency Report: Government requests on the rise  —  We think it's important to shine a light on how government actions could affect our users.  When we first launched the Transparency Report in early 2010, there wasn't much data out there about how governments sometimes hamper the free flow of information on the web.

Mark Cuban: Facebook Is Driving Away Brands - Starting With Mine  —  Tech billionaire and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he is fed up with Facebook and will take his business elsewhere.  He's sick of getting hit with huge fees to send messages to his team's fans and followers.

Zynga Announces Executive Appointments  —  Reaffirms 2012 Financial Outlook  —  Zynga Inc. (Nasdaq:ZNGA), the world's leading provider of social game services, today announced a number of changes to the company's executive team.  Among these changes, Mark Vranesh, chief accounting officer, has been appointed chief financial officer.

Google Nexus 4 And Nexus 10 Go On Sale In The U.S. Online Play Store  —  Google has just put its new Nexus 4 smartphone, 3G Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablet up for sale at the Google Play web store.  The phone retails for $299 for the 8GB version, and $349 for the 16GB variety, and the Nexus 10 goes for $399 or $499 depending on capacity.

Exclusive: AMD hires bank to explore options - sources  —  (Reuters) - Advanced Micro Devices has hired JPMorgan Chase & Co to explore options, which could include a potential sale, as the chipmaker struggles to find a role in an industry increasingly focused on mobile and away from traditional PCs …

Apple Stores top Tiffany's in sales per square foot, again  —  But the $45 dollars the average Apple Store customer spends each visit is the least of it  —  FORTUNE — It is likely that there is no retail outlet in the world that generates as much cash per square foot than an Apple Store.

Google Fiber installations kick off today  —  The title says it all!  After months of building a brand new Fiber infrastructure, we're excited to announce that today we're officially starting to connect homes in Kansas City to Google Fiber.  —  We've been working in a few homes …

Exclusive: Windows Phone 8 Coming to Sprint in 2013  —  Windows Phone 8 is hitting three of the four big carriers in the U.S. this year, with Nokia and HTC phones coming to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.  But Sprint is sitting out the 2012 season, waiting to introduce Windows Phones in 2013.

Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 Preview  —  As we have reported yesterday, today marks the day when Microsoft officially releases Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7.  As expected, the download page for IE10 on Windows 7 Preview is now available on the IE Test Drive website:

Petraeus reportedly used draft e-mails to converse with mistress  —  The former CIA director used a trick often used by terrorists and teenagers to make e-mails harder to trace, the Associated Press reports.  —  In an effort to cover a trail of messages between him and his mistress …

Microsoft hit by second Office 365 email outage in five days  —  Summary: For the second time this month, some Office 365 users in North America are experiencing email problems.  —  On November 13, some Microsoft Office 365 customers in North America were reporting (via Twitter and email) …

Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7 Android 4.2 updates available to download  —  Today's the day the Nexus 4 goes on sale, but if you're a Galaxy Nexus owner not quite ready to upgrade to Google's latest flagship phone, don't worry — there's still something to look forward to.

RIM to Release BlackBerry 10 in February After Jan. 30 Debut  —  Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) — Research In Motion Ltd. plans to showcase the first two of its BlackBerry 10 smartphones on Jan. 30 and then start selling the devices in February, moving forward with a critical step in its comeback bid.

Another Square Copycat: Bank of America Launches Mobile Payments  —  Square may get a lot of credit for making mobile payments mainstream, but the ability to accept a credit card using a smartphone is turning into an unmistakable commodity.  —  The latest to enter the space is Bank …

Winklevoss Twins Lead Investment in Start-Up Shopping Site  —  While many are still lamenting the failures of the Facebook's initial public offering, two of its most well-known shareholders are no longer wringing their hands.  —  Instead, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss - the twins referred to as the …

Apple stops selling customer protection plan at Italian shops  —  (Reuters) - Apple Inc has stopped selling a customer protection plan that raised concerns with Italy's antitrust authority, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.  —  Italy's competition watchdog had threatened the U.S. giant …

Surface RT Display Technology Shoot-Out  —  Introduction The new Windows Tablets, led by Microsoft's Surface, provide a third major family of Tablets for consumers and the computing world.  The significance and stakes are enormous because Tablets are among the most important developments …

UAE toughens law on Internet dissent  —  (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates has tightened the law on online dissent, imposing jail terms for anyone who derides or caricatures the Gulf Arab country's rulers or state institutions on the web.  —  The UAE did not undergo the popular uprisings …

Vimeo previews upcoming pay-to-view service for creators, coming to PRO members early 2013  —  Following the launch of tip jar, Vimeo is now demoing its upcoming pay-to-view service with select filmmakers before releasing the feature to PRO members in early 2013.