Microsoft plans to buy the Nook Media Barnes & Noble eBook joint venture, TechCruch reports-- and is willing to cough up $1 billion for the pleasure.

Through the acquisition Microsoft will get the Nook Media digital operation (eBooks) and the Nook eReaders and tablets hardware unit, leaving the college book division to B&N.

According to TechCrunch Nook Media also plans to discontinue making Android-based tablets by end fiscal 2014, part of a transition towards an entirely app-based "3rd party partner" device retail model.

Originally part of B&N, the Nook business split from the retailer on April 2012 following a Microsoft investment worth $300m (or 16.8% of the joint venture) made in order to get Nook content on then nascent Windows 8 devices. Nook apps are currently also available on every major platform, including Android and iOS.

Photoshop maker Adobe makes first steps into the hardware business with "Project Mighty" and "Project Napoleon"-- a pressure sensitive stylus and a small digital ruler designed for use with the company's tablet applications.

The Project Mighty is a so-described "cloud pen" with sleek, Apple-style industrial design. It connects to tablets and the internet via Bluetooth and allows one to not only draw more naturally on tablets, but also bring up content from the cloud (such as drawings, colour swatches or settings) with the press of a button.

Adobe does not provide exact specs for the pen, but says it includes a rechargeable battery, Bluetooth LE connectivity and an unspecified amount of built-in storage.

Meanwhile the Project Napoleon looks like a 3-inch ruler (hence the name) but is actually more of a digital protractor. It creates a digitally projected edges, making the accurate drawing of shapes and lines on the display easier.

Intel unveils its latest take on low-power, high-performance CPUs-- Silvermont, an x86-based architecture using the 22nm Tri-Gate manufacturing process, designed for applications ranging from smartphones to data centres.

"Silvermont is a leap forward and an entirely new technology foundation for the future that will address a broad range of products and market segments." Intel says. "Early sampling of our 22nm SoCs, including "Bay Trail" and "Avoton," is already garnering positive feedback from our customers."

"Bay Trail" quad-core SoCs aimed for tablet and entry-level PC use will be the first products on the market featuring the architecture, followed by dual-core "Merrifield" smartphone SoCs. By H2 2013 Intel should also release the microserver-targeted "Avoton" and the "Rangeley" network/communications infrastructure chips, as well as an unnamed SoC optimised for in-vehicle applications.

In a bid to rely less on a declining PC market and return to profitability AMD finds a new job-- chip maker for hire, integrating own and 3rd party processor, graphics and multimedia IP to build one-of-a-kind SoC solutions.

AMD has high hopes for the newly formed Semi-Custom Business Unit and expects it to make up to 20% of overall AMD revenues by end 2013 through the design of hardware fit for applications ranging from tablets, smart TVs and PCs to high-performance computing and infrastructure.

“Innovation in computing over the next decade will come from deep knowledge and integration of hardware, software and system expertise,” AMD Senior VP and GM of Global Business Units Lisa Su says. “The charter of the Semi-Custom Business Unit at AMD is to provide OEM customers access to leading-edge IP to create tailored and differentiated solutions. AMD’s high-performance heritage, strategic investments in IP, and SoC design methodology enable customer-specific solutions that are truly one-of-a-kind.”

Corporate VP Saeid Moshkelani, who joined AMD last year from Trident Microsystems, leads the business unit.

Intel names the successor to retiring Paul Otellini: the new CEO will be, as anticipated, former COO Brian Krzanich. After all the fuss, conservative Intel played it safe and chose from inside. And it chose an engineer. Otellini often took criticism for not having an engineering background while leading a company that depends heavily its engineering-base.

Every Intel CEO since Andy Grove has first been COO so the real news is the surprising choice as President...Renée James.

James once served as a technical assistant to Andy Grove and she has led Intel software operations, including acquisitions of McAfee and Wind River Systems.

How did Renée James get the President's job at age 48? She was part of "a package deal." Krzanich and James pitched Intel’s board as a team with a unified position on how Intel should shape its future.

It’s a highly unusual move that makes James the first hire of the new CEO. Hired before Krzanich even got his job. Intel has much at stake on James and the new strategy.

Apple reports its first Y-o-Y decline since 2003-- Q2 2013 profits for the iPhone maker total $9.5 billion (from revenues of $43.6bn), down from Q2 2012 profits of $11.6bn and revenues worth $39.2bn.

Mind, it's still too early to start predicting doomsday scenarios for the company, not when it has a warchest worth $145bn... but as Wall Street starts gnashing its teeth, even CEO Tim Cook admits the juggernaut is slowing down after the “tremendous successes” of the past years.

The company also expects flat Q3 2013 revenues with a gross margin decrease of 36-37%, meaning another dip in profits.

However Apple device sales remain fairly brisk-- Q2 2013 iPhone sales reach 37.4 million (up from 35.1m in Q2 2012), iPads total 19.5m (with 65% Y-o-Y growth) and Macs remain flat at 4m units.

Sharp Corporation of Japan says it is selling off its 9.2% shareholdings in Pioneer Corp.

Currently Sharp is the largest shareholder on record in Pioneer with 30 million shares of Pioneer valued at 6.3 billion yen or US$63.80 million.

Back in 2007, the two firms made a partnership to jointly develop consumer electronics products. Now that seems like a luxury to Sharp, a luxury they can’t afford. So Sharp is looking for a buyer. The proceeds of the sale would help pay off Sharp’s corp Continue reading...

Intel reports Q1 2013 revenues of $12.6 billion and net income of $2.0bn (down from Q1 2012 revenues of 12.9bn and income of $2.7bn) as it forecasts "low single-digit percentage" growth for 2013.

PC Client Group revenues fall by 6% Y-o-Y to $8.0bn, Data Centre Group revenues grow by 7.5% Y-o-Y to $2.6bbn while Other Architecture revenues drop by 9.0% Y-o-Y to $1.0bn.

"Amidst market softness, Intel performed well in Q1 and I'm excited about what lies ahead for the company," Paul Otellini says in his final earnings call as Intel CEO. "We shipped our next generation PC microprocessors, introduced a new family of products for micro-servers and will ship our new tablet and smartphone microprocessors this quarter."