AP Technology NewsBrief at 7:10 p.m. EST

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Apple CEO required to testify in NY e-books caseNEW YORK (AP) _ Apple CEO Tim Cook has been ordered to testify in a New York court case the Justice Department brought against the company over the pricing of e-books for consumers. Federal Judge Denise Cote on Wednesday granted a government request to depose Apple Inc.'s chief executive.

New Samsung phone to face stronger competitionNEW YORK (AP) _ Samsung Electronics is taking to the Big Apple to reveal its next big challenge to Apple Inc.: a successor to its top-selling Galaxy S III smartphone. The Korean company has rented New York's Radio City Music Hall for an event Thursday evening. The company has hinted that it will reveal the Galaxy S IV phone. Judging by the announcement of the S III in last May, this means the new phone will be available in stores in a month or two.

Google's top Android exec unexpectedly steps downSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Andy Rubin has stepped down as the executive in charge of Google's Android operating system for smartphones and tablet computers, ending a seven-year reign that reshaped the technology industry. The unexpected change announced Wednesday may raise new questions about Android's direction as Google duels with Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and a long list of other companies in the increasingly important mobile computing market.

BlackBerry gets biggest order everBlackBerry, formerly known as Research In Motion Ltd., says it has received an order for one million of its new smartphones, marking the largest ever single purchase in the company's history. The Canadian company is relying on the redesigned BlackBerry to fuel a comeback. The pioneering brand lost its cachet not long after Apple's 2007 release of the iPhone, which reset consumers' expectations for what a smartphone should do.

Netflix's US customers get Facebook-sharing toolSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ A long-awaited coming attraction has finally arrived for Netflix's U.S. subscribers. They will now be able to automatically see what their Facebook friends have been watching on the Internet video service, as long as they are willing to open a peephole into their viewing habits, too. The sharing tool announced Wednesday is rolling out 18 months after Netflix Inc. introduced the feature to its international subscribers.

'Veronica Mars' film's online fundraiser launchesLOS ANGELES (AP) _ "Veronica Mars" fans eager for a movie based on the TV series have a chance to put their money where their hopes are. Series creator Rob Thomas launched an online crowd-funding campaign Wednesday to make a big-screen version of the show. "Veronica Mars," which starred Kristen Bell as a young sleuth, ended its three-season run in 2007.

Review: 'Smart' LED bulbs controlled by iPhonesNEW YORK (AP) _ LED bulbs seem to be the future of home lighting: They save electricity, they're durable and they don't contain mercury like compact fluorescents. But having them produce white light like any old light bulb is like using a computer as a doorstop. That's because each LED, or light-emitting diode, is a small chip, the product of the same sort of manufacturing process that spawned the digital revolution. The chips are backed up by more electronics in the stem of the bulb. These bulbs are smart, or at least they can be if we make them that way.

Researchers find German-made spyware across globeLONDON (AP) _ The discovery of a group of servers linked to an elusive espionage campaign is providing new details about a high-tech piece of spy software that some fear may be targeting dissidents living under oppressive regimes. A Canadian research center said Wednesday that it had identified 25 different countries that host servers linked to FinFisher, a Trojan horse program which can dodge anti-virus protections to steal data, log keystrokes, eavesdrop on Skype calls, and turn microphones and webcams into live surveillance devices.

Report: More youth use smartphones as route to WebCHICAGO (AP) _ Keep computers in a common area so you can monitor what your kids are doing. It's a longstanding directive for online safety _ but one that's quickly becoming moot as more young people have mobile devices, often with Internet access. A new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that 78 percent of young people, ages 12 to 17, now have cellphones. Nearly half of those are smartphones, a share that's increasing steadily _ and that's having a big effect on how, and where, many young people are accessing the Web.

Reruns of CBS drama 'The Good Wife' to play onlineLOS ANGELES (AP) _ CBS Corp. is rolling out past seasons of "The Good Wife" online, the first time the broadcaster is allowing Internet access to a drama that is still airing new episodes on TV. The deal announced Wednesday means that the first three seasons of the hit crime show will be available starting Thursday to fans who pay for Amazon.com's Prime membership, which costs $79 a year.

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