AP Technology NewsBrief at 10:25 a.m. EST

(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Yelp shares surge in stock market debutYelp's stock opened to five-star reviews from investors on Friday, soaring 60 percent in the first hour of trading after pricing at $15 on Thursday night. The online reviews site's initial public offering priced at $15, above its targeted range of $12 to $14 per share. That already suggested strong investor demand for a slice of the 8-year-old online reviews site, which has yet to turn a profit.

German court dismisses Apple, Samsung lawsuitsBERLIN (AP) _ A German court has dismissed patent lawsuits by technology giants Apple and Samsung against each other in the two companies' battle over the market for smartphones and tablet devices. Mannheim state court spokesman Joachim Bock said judges dismissed both cases involving alleged patent infringements of the companies' respective slide-to-lock technology on mobile devices.

Startup sued for sending local TV to the iPhoneNEW YORK (AP) _ Broadcasters are suing a startup backed by media billionaire Barry Diller that sends a live local TV feeds to iPhones and iPads in the New York area. Two groups of broadcasters, including ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the local PBS station, filed suits Thursday in federal court, saying Aereo Inc.'s service uses their content without permission.

AT&T relents on 'unlimited data' plan limitsNEW YORK (AP) _ AT&T Inc. backed away from an unpopular service policy after smartphone subscribers complained that the company placed unreasonable limits on its "unlimited data" plans. The cellphone company said Thursday that it will slow down service for "unlimited data" subscribers after they reach 3 gigabytes of usage within a billing cycle.

Kodak agrees to sell online gallery to ShutterflyROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) _ Eastman Kodak Co. said Thursday it plans to sell its online photo service business to online photo publishing company Shutterfly Inc. for $23.8 million. Eastman Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January and said it is narrowing its focus to its core printer businesses. A bankruptcy court will review the proposed sale of Kodak Gallery.

FBI director: Cyber-threats will become top worrySAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ The director of the FBI told an annual gathering of cyber-security professionals on Thursday that the agency needs the private sector to help combat what he believes is becoming the nation's No. 1 threat. FBI Director Robert Mueller reiterated his testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in January that cyber-threats would surpass terrorism as the country's top concern.

Telecoms groups fight back against free messagingBARCELONA, Spain (AP) _ Just past the security gate for the world's largest cell phone trade show in Barcelona, executives of big mobile carriers can't avoid walking past a booth they would probably rather not see: It's for "Pinger," a small California company that offers free texting in the United States and Germany and has global expansion plans. Pinger and an explosion of smartphone messaging services _ like iMessage, BlackBerry Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber Media, Facebook Messenger and KakaoTalk _ have managed in just a few years to slash away at the important revenue that cell phone companies get from text messaging. Analysts say there's no end in sight to the financial blood letting.

Zynga unveils stand-alone game destinationNEW YORK (AP) _ "CityVille" fans afraid to spam their Facebook friends with updates about their virtual hometowns can sigh with relief. Zynga has unveiled a new online destination, Zynga.com, where people can play its games away from Facebook, including with people who are not their Facebook friends. This doesn't mean that Zynga is divorcing Facebook. Players will log into the site with their Facebook account information and spend money in the games through Facebook. But Zynga hopes the move will lure more players and get them to spend more time on its games, unencumbered by the non-game-related Facebook updates and comments that can distract them from tending to their virtual farms, cities or poker games.

Apple market value hits $500B, where few have goneNEW YORK (AP) _ Apple's market capitalization topped $500 billion Wednesday, climbing to a mountain peak where few companies have ventured _ and none have stayed for long. Apple was already the world's most valuable company. The gap between it and No. 2 Exxon Mobil Corp. has widened rapidly in the past month, as investors have digested Apple's report of blow-out holiday-season sales of iPhones and iPads. And, more recently, Apple has raised investors' hopes that it might institute a dividend.

Kim Dotcom says he'll beat 'political' piracy caseWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) _ In his first interviews since his January arrest in New Zealand, Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom says he will prevail in what he calls a "political" Internet piracy case against him. In what is shaping up to be one of the biggest copyright cases in history, U.S. authorities are trying to extradite Dotcom on racketeering and other federal charges. They say he and colleagues at his file-sharing website facilitated millions of illegal downloads, costing songwriters and moviemakers some half a billion dollars in lost copyright revenue while making a fortune for themselves.

(c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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