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

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 …

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 …

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.

Verizon to offer free Windows Phone 8 smartphone before the end of the year  —  Verizon Wireless recently announced availability of its first Windows Phone 8 devices, the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 822, both of which are shipping before the Thanksgiving holiday this year.

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.

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's former Windows Phone chief shifted to head of corporate development and strategy  —  Microsoft's Andy Lees, who was moved out of the top Windows Phone job less than a year ago, has been shifted to the head of corporate development and strategy at the software giant, a company spokesperson has confirmed.

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.

Samsung Bets On Flexible Displays  —  SEOUL—As the battle for dominance in the smartphone and tablet market intensifies, South Korean conglomerate Samsung is pushing ahead with plans to start mass production of displays using plastic rather than glass, a move that will make mobile devices unbreakable, lighter and bendable.

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 …

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 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.

Microsoft issues Surface software updates, improves app performance  —  Microsoft has started to issue updates to its Surface RT device this week with the company's first monthly Patch Tuesday since Windows 8 and Windows RT's launch on October 26th.  The software maker has taken the opportunity …

Papa John's faces $250 million spam lawsuit  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Popular U.S. pizza chain Papa John's faces a $250 million class-action lawsuit for blasting customers with illegal text messages.  —  The plaintiffs allege that Papa John's ( PZZA) franchises sent customers a total of 500,000 unwanted messages in early 2010.

Google declares Flash is now ‘fully sandboxed’ in Chrome for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS  —  Google today announced that Adobe Flash Player is now “fully sandboxed” in Chrome on all desktop platforms it supports: Windows, Mac, Linux, and Chrome OS.  This is a big achievement …

Audio: McAfee, Still in Hiding, Predicts ‘They Will Track Me Down’  —  Antivirus pioneer John McAfee is still on the run, hiding in the bottoms of boats and cars, sleeping on a mattress infested with lice, and finally taking refuge in homes at undisclosed locations in Belize.

Vuzix Smart Glasses M100 takes on Google Glass in 2013  —  Vuzix has revealed its challenge to Google's Glass, the Vuzix Smart Glasses M100, a wearable Android computer set to hit the market in early 2013.  Resembling an oversized Bluetooth headset, the Ice Cream Sandwich-based M100 consists …