In today’s NewsDesk news roundup: HTC is losing more execs; AMD loses more sales despite processor market growth; Google Plus redesign rolls out to mobile and mobile web; Intel appoints Mike Bell to head emerging technology efforts; Nineteen year old revolutionizes cost of driverless cars; NASA spearheads 3D printed food development; Amazon unveils design for new HQ; Pandora rolls out album sneak preview; TomTom incorporates TrafficLand data; and Steve Wilhite recognized for GIF, receives Webby Lifetime Achievement award.

HTC losing more execs

In the last three months, HTC has lost its Vice President of Global Communications, Global Retail Marketing Manager, Director of Digital Marketing, and its Product Strategy Manager. The most recent departure is HTC’s Chief Product Officer, Kouji Kodera. The string of high profile resignations has put a damper on employee morale. CEO and Co-Founder Peter Chou bet his career on the HTC One handset, promising to step down if it’s not a retail success.

AMD loses more sales despite processor market growth

According to a new report by IC Insights, both Qualcomm and Samsung overtook AMD in sales, suggesting the processor industry as a whole is changing. Despite these losses, the processor market is growing. Both Qualcomm and Samsung are seeing a higher percentage of growth than AMD is seeing in losses. As a whole, the microprocessor market is projected to reach the hundred-billion dollar mark over the next four years.

Google Plus redesign rolls out to mobile and mobile web

The Google Plus website redesign that was unveiled at Google I/O has been extended to the Google Plus Android App, and the Google Plus mobile web. The Pinterest inspired design, where posts are seen as cards, is now a consistent design element in each of the versions. Cover photos for Google Plus profile and brand pages have also been added to mobile. Google Plus for iOS already features the card design style, but has yet to receive the full design update.

Intel appoints Mike Bell to head emerging technology efforts

Mike Bell was just appointed as the head of Intel’s New Device Unit. With Intel failing to make an impact against companies like Qualcomm, Nvidia and other ARM-based processors, it seems that this latest move is their way to try to crack into new markets as they still develop. This new appointment will likely see the same kind of support for emerging technologies, such as wearable computers, with the inevitable launch of Apple’s Smart Watch and Google’s Glass.

Nineteen year old revolutionizes cost of driverless cars

Driverless cars will be much more affordable, thanks to the work of Nineteen year old Ionut Budisteanu. The high school student received the Gordon E. Moore Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair for his project, which could reduce the cost of self driving vehicles by more than $70,000. Budisteanu’s approach has the same results, at a fraction of the cost.

NASA spearheads 3D printed food development

NASA has come out with yet another development, 3D printed food. A $125,000 research project by the space administration is expected to produce a workable model that can print off a whole catalog of food using simple building blocks of sugars, carbohydrates and proteins. With some scientists expecting the world population to continue its growth, changing our perceptions of how we see and grow food may end up becoming a necessity.

Amazon unveils design for new HQ

Amazon’s plans for its new corporate headquarters depict the structures that will make up its Seattle campus. The tall, rectangular building is somewhat standard, but the accompanying trio of interconnected, globe-like biospheres would definitely set Amazon’s campus apart. The space would feature a variety of botanical zones, modeled on ecologies found around the globe.

Pandora rolls out album sneak preview

Internet radio service Pandora is rolling out a new service that will offer previews of new albums up to a week before they go on sale. Listeners will be able to choose any track, in any order on the featured album, and listen for an unlimited period while it’s still live. The rollout, sponsored by T-Mobile, is being pitched as the first of its kind, and considering the size of Pandora’s user base, a targeted program of this kind has never been delivered on such a massive scale..

TomTom incorporates TrafficLand data

TomTom is adding to the suite of cloud-based location services it provides to developers with a new TrafficLand partnership. TrafficLand’s network of over 13,000 roadside webcams, that span the U.S., Canada, and the U.K, will be incorporated in TomTom’s Location Based Services. The company recently reported a thirteen percent drop in first quarter sales, due in large part to the stiff competition it now faces from GPS enabled smartphones. Providing services to app developers is an important part of its new product diversification strategy.

Steve Wilhite recognized for GIF, receives Webby Lifetime Achievement award

The Webby Awards have given this year’s lifetime achievement award to Steve Wilhite for his invention of the GIF file format. Among the thousands of file formats that exist in modern computing, the GIF which stands for Graphics Interchange Format, has withstood the test of time. From its beginnings as a NetScape Logo to the 1996 dancing baby and everywhere in between, we thank Steve Wilhite for his contribution to the internet culture we know today and congratulate him on his lifetime achievement!