Nook

You just got your new iPhone 5 and the thought of losing it is far from your mind. But statistics show that a lot of people lose their iPhones or or get it stolen as more thieves eye the popular device. You can take steps right now that can help you quickly recover your smartphone if you were ever to misplace it or someone makes off with it. First, set up a passcode for your iPhone. It can be inconvenient but it can also help your chances of recovering your phone. And make sure "location services" is turned on. You can find that in "Settings," and then at the top of "Privacy.

In a bid to spur sales of its struggling Nook tablet, Barnes & Noble Inc. struck deals with major Hollywood studios that will make more movies and television shows available on the device. Barnes & Noble's Nook Media subsidiary reached licensing deals with Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Relativity Media and others that will deliver thousands of additional videos to the service, including such hit films as "The Hunger Games," the "Twilight" movies, "Flight" and "Paranormal Activity 4" and television shows such as "Mad Men. " "Nook is one of a growing spectrum of new digital buyers for our films and TV content and illustrates the breadth and depth of opportunities for monetizing our content across a broad array of platforms," Thomas Hughes, Lionsgate's senior vice president of digital, said in a statement.

Barnes & Noble said sales at its Nook e-reader and digital-book unit, often touted as the company's best hope for the future, tanked 26% during the crucial holiday quarter as the bookstore giant experienced weakness across all its categories. A decline in the number of Nook devices sold during the company's fiscal third quarter, which ended Jan. 26, compelled Barnes & Noble on Thursday to announce a cost reduction program in the division as well as plans to cut e-reader prices. Barnes & Noble owns 78% of the Nook unit, with Microsoft and Pearson.

Barnes & Noble said sales at its Nook e-reader and digital-book unit, often touted as the company's best hope for the future, tanked 26% during the crucial holiday quarter as the bookstore giant experienced weakness across all its categories. A decline in the number of Nook devices sold during the company's fiscal third quarter, which ended Jan. 26, compelled Barnes & Noble on Thursday to announce a cost reduction program in the division as well as plans to cut e-reader prices. Barnes & Noble owns 78% of the Nook unit, with Microsoft and Pearson.

Bookstore chain Barnes & Noble said Friday its holiday sales look disappointing and that publisher Pearson Plc took a 5% stake in its Nook e-reader business. In a regulatory filing, the New York company said early reports indicate its holiday sales fell below expectations and its Nook unit won't meet initial projections for the fiscal year. But news that Pearson agreed to invest $89.5 million in cash into its Nook division, which values the business at $1.79 billion, sent shares of Barnes & Noble up 6.3% to $15.25 in midday trading.

If small vessels are your thing , a tour aboard Aurora Explorer, which delivers freight to remote logging camps and villages in Canada 's Inside Passage, may be for you. With the ability to handle only a dozen passengers, however, the journeys are selling out quickly. As of late January, only a few staterooms were available on select sailings, said Jennine Chater, tour coordinator for Marine Link, the Campbell River-based company that operates the 135-foot vessel. Prices can be significantly higher on the Aurora Explorer than those on big ships, which generally pass through but don't stop in this rugged stretch on journeys to and from Alaska.

Cineastes who enjoy ebooks will want to check out "Inside the Script," a new series of illustrated ebooks from Warner Bros. that focuses on four famous films. They feature shooting scripts, production notes, storyboards, candid photographs and interactive gallery of costumes, stills, movie posters, set designs and behind-the-photographs. Four titles have just been released by Warner Bros. Digital Distribution on iBookstore, Kindle and Nook: "Casablanca," "Ben-Hur," "An American in Paris" and "North by Northwest," with more titles in the series to come.

Barnes & Noble Inc. Chairman Leonard Riggio is hoping to buy out the struggling retail side of the bookstore business he bought some 40 years ago as digital advances and online competition threaten the chain's growth. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Riggio said he plans to make an offer for Barnes & Noble Booksellers and barnesandnoble.com. The proposal will exclude the separate unit the company created this fall to deal with its Nook e-reader and college bookstores efforts.

Blindsight Chris Colin Published by the Atavist $2.99 for iPad/iPhone/iTouch (multimedia) $1.99 text-only on Kindle, Nook and iBooks

The American Booksellers Assn., the trade organization of independent bookstores, has struck a deal with Canada's Kobo to sell e-readers, tablets and e-books. The arrangement will begin in October, the Wall Street Journal reports . Independent booksellers watched from the sidelines as e-books captured greater mindshare and a rapidly increasing percentage of actual book sales. They were not able to sell e-books until Dec. 2010, when Google began selling e-books and partnered with the ABA. That partnership failed to take off, in part because buying the e-books was cumbersome, particularly in light of the ease of purchase at industry leader Amazon.

Barnes & Noble Inc. Chairman Leonard Riggio is hoping to buy out the struggling retail side of the bookstore business he bought some 40 years ago as digital advances and online competition threaten the chain's growth. In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Riggio said he plans to make an offer for Barnes & Noble Booksellers and barnesandnoble.com. The proposal will exclude the separate unit the company created this fall to deal with its Nook e-reader and college bookstores efforts.

If small vessels are your thing , a tour aboard Aurora Explorer, which delivers freight to remote logging camps and villages in Canada 's Inside Passage, may be for you. With the ability to handle only a dozen passengers, however, the journeys are selling out quickly. As of late January, only a few staterooms were available on select sailings, said Jennine Chater, tour coordinator for Marine Link, the Campbell River-based company that operates the 135-foot vessel. Prices can be significantly higher on the Aurora Explorer than those on big ships, which generally pass through but don't stop in this rugged stretch on journeys to and from Alaska.

Big box bookstores such as Barnes & Noble were once considered a major threat to the health of the book-selling industry, offering discounts, massive selections and lattes that independent bookstores could not. Now things have changed: Barnes & Noble is the last national bookstore chain standing, and it's getting smaller ... and smaller ... and smaller. In 2008, Barnes & Noble had 726 stores. It currently has 689 stores and in 10 years, it plans to have just 450 to 500. That's what Mitchell Klipper, chief executive of Barnes & Nobkle's retail group, told the Wall Street Journal.

Bookstore chain Barnes & Noble said Friday its holiday sales look disappointing and that publisher Pearson Plc took a 5% stake in its Nook e-reader business. In a regulatory filing, the New York company said early reports indicate its holiday sales fell below expectations and its Nook unit won't meet initial projections for the fiscal year. But news that Pearson agreed to invest $89.5 million in cash into its Nook division, which values the business at $1.79 billion, sent shares of Barnes & Noble up 6.3% to $15.25 in midday trading.

Barnes & Noble, the country's largest bookseller, said data thieves hacked into payment devices and may have stolen customer credit and debit card information at 63 of its stores nationwide, including 20 in California. Hackers planted bugs in a single card reader at each of the stores, the company said. Customers swipe their payment cards through the machines and, if using a debit card, enter their personal identification number. Those PINs may be at risk, along with other account information, potentially giving thieves access to customers' private accounts.

Not wanting to get left behind, Barnes & Noble on Wednesday announced two new tablets: the 7-inch Nook HD and the 9-inch NOOK HD+. The two tablets are playing catch-up to Apple, Google and, most notably, Amazon, which just this month announced its own set of new tablets. The new Nook HD features a 7-inch screen with a higher resolution than its competitors at 1,440 by 900 pixels. Barnes & Noble said the Nook HD also weighs just 315 grams, or 11 ounces, has a 1.3Ghz dual-core processor and is available starting at $199 for an 8 GB model and $229 for a 16 GB version.

Big box bookstores such as Barnes & Noble were once considered a major threat to the health of the book-selling industry, offering discounts, massive selections and lattes that independent bookstores could not. Now things have changed: Barnes & Noble is the last national bookstore chain standing, and it's getting smaller ... and smaller ... and smaller. In 2008, Barnes & Noble had 726 stores. It currently has 689 stores and in 10 years, it plans to have just 450 to 500. That's what Mitchell Klipper, chief executive of Barnes & Nobkle's retail group, told the Wall Street Journal.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Tuesday: Dr. Conrad Murray could face a substantial prison sentence for his conviction in Michael Jackson's death. ( Los Angeles Times ) Brett Ratner apologizes for using a gay slur during a Q&A for "Tower Heist. " ( CBS ) "Lost" star Matthew Fox is countersuing the female bus driver who accused him of punching her. ( TMZ ) Avril Lavigne and her boyfriend Brody Jenner were reportedly attacked and left bloody in Hollywood.

Barnes & Noble Inc., in its bid to keep up with online retail rival Amazon.com, said it will begin offering movies and television shows through its Nook store starting this fall. The bookseller said Nook Video will sell and rent movies and TV shows from HBO, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Starz, Viacom and Warner Bros. Entertainment, as well as films from Walt Disney Studios. The video can be streamed or downloaded from the Nook store, and deposited in the Nook Cloud so that it can be accessed from Internet-connected devices.

In the depths of the Depression, architect Frank Lloyd Wright developed a housing style called Usonian. These middle-class homes were meant to be affordable and connected to their setting. They blurred the distinction between indoors and out, featuring plenty of glass, extended roofs and a carport (a word Wright coined). The Rosenbaum House in Florence, Ala., has been called the purest example of the Usonian style. Why it's a treasure: When newlyweds Mildred and Stanley Rosenbaum moved into their home in 1939, crowds gathered to gawk at the unusual flat-roofed building.