A billion-dollar class-action lawsuit over Apple's iPod music players heads to trial on Tuesday in a California federal court after nearly a decade in legal wrangling.

Attorneys for consumers and electronics retailers claim Apple Inc. used software in its iTunes store that forced would-be song buyers to use iPods instead of cheaper music players made by rivals. The software is no longer used, but the plaintiffs argue that it inflated the prices of millions of iPods sold between 2006 and 2009 — to the tune of $350 million. Under federal antitrust law, the tech giant could be ordered to pay three times that amount if the jury agrees with the estimate and finds the damages resulted from anti-competitive behavior.

Now is a good time to get a smartphone. The latest devices hit shelves in time for the holiday shopping season, and there's likely to be a lull in new releases until next spring. So why wait?

Here are some things to consider before hitting stores. If you're upgrading from an older model, you can skip the first part aimed at first-time smartphone buyers.

A year ago, Amazon.com workers like 34-year-old Rejinaldo Rosales hiked miles of aisles each shift to "pick" each item a customer ordered and prepare it for shipping.

Now the e-commerce giant boasts that it has boosted efficiency — and given workers' legs a break — by deploying more than 15,000 wheeled robots to crisscross the floors of its biggest warehouses and deliver stacks of toys, books and other products to employees.

Samsung retained the chief of its mobile business in an annual executive reshuffle announced Monday despite a steep decline in mobile profit.

The extent of this year's reshuffle was the smallest in recent years, showing how Samsung is opting for stability in its executive ranks in the absence of chairman Lee Kun-hee who was hospitalized in May after a heart attack.

It's a robot unlike any other: inspired by the world's fastest land animal, controlled by video game technology and packing nifty sensors — including one used to maneuver drones, satellites and ballistic missiles.

The robot, called the cheetah, can run on batteries at speeds of more than 10 mph, jump about 16 inches high, land safely and continue galloping for at least 15 minutes — all while using less power than a microwave oven.

Watch out world, the Girl Scouts are going digital to sell you cookies.

For the first time in nearly 100 years, Girl Scouts of the USA will allow its young go-getters to push their wares using a mobile app or personalized websites.

The Supreme Court is considering the free-speech rights of people who use violent or threatening language on Facebook and other social media.

The justices will hear arguments Monday in the case of a man who was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for posting graphically violent rap lyrics on Facebook about killing his estranged wife, shooting up a class of young children and attacking an FBI agent.

Germany has approved BlackBerry's purchase of encryption firm Secusmart after signing a "no-spy" agreement with the Canadian smartphone maker.

Duesseldorf-based Secusmart provides special smartphones to German government officials that are meant to be safe from eavesdropping.

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly for the break-up of Google Thursday in a largely symbolic vote that nevertheless cast another blow in the four-year standoff between Brussels and the U.S. Internet giant.

In a direct challenge to Google (Xetra: A0B7FY - news) , MEPs assembled in Strasbourg approved a resolution calling on the EU to consider ordering search engines to separate their commercial services from their businesses.

China's version of Twitter, Weibo, has effectively banned users from promoting the country's most popular messaging app WeChat on its platform as the two Internet giants battle for users.

Nasdaq-listed Weibo said in a statement it would crack down on users disseminating QR (quick response) codes -- a type of barcode -- and other marketing information.