AP Technology NewsBrief at 6:26 p.m. EST

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Samsung's $1B bill in Apple case reduced by $450MSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ A federal judge on Friday erased nearly half of the $1 billion in damages that a jury decided that Samsung Electronics should pay Apple in a high-profile trial over the rights to the design and technology running some of the world's most popular smartphones and tablet computers. U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh lowered the damages awarded to Apple Inc. by $450.5 million, saying jurors had not properly followed her instruction in calculating some of the damages. She also concluded that mistakes had been made in determining when Apple had first notified Samsung about the alleged violations of the patents for its trend-setting iPhone and IPad.

Digital memories fade in death; protect yourselfEstate planning attorney James Lamm who writes the blog "Digital Passing" advises people to plan ahead for their virtual afterlives. Your best bet is to make sure valuable memories and intellectual property are stored somewhere besides a social media account _ so back up your photos on a USB flash drive. Still, given the prevalence of social media in today's world, Lamm advises these four steps as a sort of digital estate planning guide to help ensure your wishes are carried out _ even though, he says, with the law as it stands currently, there are no guarantees.

In death, Facebook photos could fade away foreverBEAVERTON, Ore. (AP) _ A grieving Oregon mother who battled Facebook for full access to her deceased son's account has been pushing for years for something that would prevent others from losing photos, messages and other memories _ as she did. "Everybody's going to face this kind of a situation at some point in their lives," says Karen Williams, whose 22-year-old son died in a 2005 motorcycle accident.

1st Polaroid-branded photo store opens in Fla.DELRAY BEACH, Fla. (AP) _ The first in a chain of Polaroid-branded photo shops opened here Friday, with its backers hoping to reinvigorate the digital world's interest in printed images by capitalizing on an iconic name. Polaroid Fotobar aims to tap into unprecedented interest in photography with its inaugural 2,000-square-foot store. The trick will be to coax consumers who snap pictures on cellphones and other devices to give their memories new life on paper.

Companies struggle to popularize mobile moneyBARCELONA, Spain (AP) _ Mobile money may seem like a hot concept, but consumers aren't warming to it. At the world's largest cellphone trade show, here in Barcelona this week, the 70,000 attendees are encouraged to use their cellphones _instead their keycards_ to get past the turnstiles at the door. But very few people took the chance to do that. The process of setting up the phone to act as a keycard proved too much of a hassle.

Apple shareholder drops lawsuit on preferred stockSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ A disgruntled shareholder pressing Apple to create a new class of preferred stock has dropped a lawsuit that became a moot point after the iPhone and iPad maker changed the agenda at its annual meeting earlier this week. Lawyers for hedge fund manager David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital notified U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in a letter sent Thursday that they no longer plan to pursue the lawsuit . Sullivan closed the case, which began three weeks ago in New York.

Groupon fires CEO, still faces underlying problemsNEW YORK (AP) _ Now that Groupon has gotten rid of its quirky founder and CEO, the chief question is whether the company's underlying online deals business is promising enough to reverse its falling stock price, declining revenue growth and waning consumer interest. Groupon Inc. fired Andrew Mason on Thursday, one day after the company reported another disappointing quarter amid worries that people are tiring of the restaurant, spa and Botox deals that Groupon built its business on.

Ousted Groupon CEO: Firing gives staff 2nd chanceGroupon Inc. founder Andrew Mason sent a memo to employees after he was fired Thursday. Here's the text of his letter: People of Groupon, Facebook buying Atlas ad business from MicrosoftSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Facebook is buying a set of online advertising tools called Atlas from Microsoft in its latest attempt to build a more effective marketing system around its social network. In making the deal announced Thursday, Facebook is betting the acquired technology will be more fruitful under new ownership than it was during the past five-and-half years under Microsoft's control. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

From eggs to film: A Japanese-American studio headBURBANK, Calif. (AP) _ There isn't much "Hollywood" about Kevin Tsujihara. He spends most of his time in back-room meetings, away from the red carpets and spotlights for which the city is known. There are few photos of him online, and a few weeks ago, someone created the first page for him on Wikipedia.

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