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A new lawsuit filed yesterday in Texas claims that a majority of Apple's products infringe on four patents held by EON Corporation IP Holdings.

The suit, filed by EON in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Tyler Division, targets both Apple's software services like iTunes and the App Store, as well as devices that connect to those services. That list includes the Apple TV, the iPod Touch, all iPhones since the iPhone 3G, and all generations of the iPad.

In its complaint, the Texas-based company says these devices infringe on one key patent … Read more

A new patent from Apple provides loads of information on Passbook and hints at the possibility of using near-field communications with the app.

Published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the patent, dubbed "Integrated Coupon Storage, Discovery, And Redemption System," goes into great detail about a system that lets you manage and redeem electronic coupons on a mobile device.

As described in the patent, such a system could trigger an alert on your phone when you're near a store where a saved coupon can be used. It could also alert you when you're … Read more

Google Play is on a growth spurt, but Apple is still tops in app sales.

Over the past four months, Google's app store saw its daily sales jump by 43 percent across the 20 countries measured by analytics provider Distimo in a report out today.

At the same time, sales growth for Apple's App Store rose just by 21 percent on a daily basis. That's slowed considerably since January, when the App Store's daily sales growth was 51 percent.

As Distimo points out, however, the daily revenue values in the App Store were already much higher … Read more

Holiday shoppers looking for a gift for their favorite Apple fan can save $10 on an iTunes gift card via Walmart.

The retail company is now offering a $50 electronic iTunes gift card for $40. That seems to be the only deal since Walmart is selling all other iTunes gift cards at their regular prices.

Buyers who opt for the deal receive an initial confirmation e-mail from Walmart and then a second e-mail with access to a PIN. After receiving the PIN, you can then send the card as a gift to your recipient. The turnaround seems to vary, however. … Read more

The European Union is expected to file an antitrust case against Samsung very soon.

According to Reuters, which spoke with the European Union competition chief Joaquin Almunia, his office will "issue a statement of objections very soon" against Samsung. Almunia didn't say what would be included in those objections, but the move follows a year-long investigation into Samsung's patent practices.

The European Commission -- the executive arm of the EU -- announced in November 2011 that it had launched a preliminary investigation into Samsung's patent policies. Just two months later, the Commission announced a formal investigation into whether Samsung had used wireless patents as an anticompetitive tool, … Read more

We were dazzled by an array of smartphones. We were fascinated and then disappointed by Facebook's initial public offering. And we held our breaths as we awaited the verdict in the Apple v. Samsung trial.

But all that's so 2012. Let's talk 2013. Will we still be paying attention to patents, smartphones, and IPOs? The answer is "yes, yes, and yes," but not in the way you might imagine. The great thing about writing about the high-tech industry is its constant march forward. New companies get built on the bones of old companies, and new … Read more

Tablets have been eating away at the PC's position as the connected device of choice, and now they're taking their place in the classrooms of an Australian university.

The University of Western Sydney said in a statement that it plans to distribute 11,000 iPads next year to every new student and member of the faculty "to support learning and teaching innovations across the curriculum and in informal learning environments."

"With digital technology revolutionizing how we connect and interact with the world, university study should be no different," professor Kerri-Lee Krause, the university's … Read more

iPads don't come with their own protection. In fact, these sleek metal and glass beauties ship naked. That just won't do: you need a case. But when it comes to the iPad Mini, I quickly discovered, what makes a good case or bag is a very different proposition than for the larger iPad.

To help you pick out something good, here's what I've observed so far over the last couple of months of hard-core iPad Mini use. Let's take a look, shall we?… Read more

This year was a big year for rumors -- remember the iPhone 5? -- but the rumor mill never stops churning.

As we put a lid on 2012, we look forward to the rumors that will still hound us next year. Which rumors do you think will finally be put to rest? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks for watching, and happy holidays! See you in a couple weeks.

Heard a tech rumor you think we should cover? Leave a comment below; ; send us a tweet (@EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, and @CNETRumorShow); or call and leave us a voice mail at … Read more