iTunes Store going strong, getting sued: As Apple crows about having sold 3 billion songs on the iTunes Store (which now, incidentally, stocks 5 million songs, 550 television shows, and 500 movies), Detroit rapper Eminem has filed a suit against Apple for selling his music sans permission. Eminem's music publisher and copyright manager, Eight Mile Style LLC and Martin Affiliated LLC, allege that even though Apple pays a share of the money it collects from Eminem downloads to Universal Music Group, the rapper's management companies never authorized Universal to allow these downloads. (Eminem's people also sued Apple in 2004 over the its use of the song "Lose Yourself" in an iTunes TV ad.)

More complaints about the iPhone's battery: In addition to the lawsuit filed yesterday, New York State's Consumer Protection Board has sent a letter to Apple complaining about the iPhone's battery - particularly its repair and return policies. "I encourage Apple to redesign the iPhone in order to provide for a replaceable battery," wrote Mindy Bockstein, chairwoman and executive director of the state's Consumer Protection Board, in a letter to Steve Jobs dated July 17. Bockstein also told Jobs that Apple should provide free rental phones while customers wait for repairs to the iPhone, instead of charging $29 for a loaner.

In other iPhone news: Apple VP of iPod Product Marketing Greg Joswiak told analysts to expect the first iPhone update to arrive shortly. A cheaper iPhone might follow later this year, or in early 2008. The iPhone update probably means that unauthorized iPhone utilities - like iASign and iFuntastic, which both got updates this week - could soon be rendered obsolete (or at least require anyone using them to reinstall and reconfigure after activating the Apple update). Here's how to use your iPhone to control your Xbox Media Center, and also how to check it for dead pixels. If you're a NASA employee, don't expect to be issued an iPhone any time soon...although you might get a BlackBerry. Perhaps that's for the best: For some, the bloom is off the iPhone's rose.

iWork '08 blip? According to AppleInsider, there was a short-lived reference on Apple's website today to iWork '08 in a headline for a news release on the Hot News page. The reference was part of a headline that initially read, "Apple Remote and Keynote '08," and was later shortened to "Apple Remote and Keynote."

Also: Steve Jobs was listed among USA Today's 25 most influential business leaders (he ranked No. 3, behind No. 1 Bill Gates and No. 2 Alan Greenspan). Here's one guy's take on why Bill is richer than Steve. In a different survey, Microsoft's Internet Explorer was chosen as the most influential technology product of the past quarter-century. (The iPod made the list, too, oddly tying with Excel with 49 percent of those surveyed choosing it as the most influential tech product.)

You've heard of the dangers of a high-fat diet, but how about the dangers of the Escape key in OS X's Address Book? While you're cutting out fats, be sure not to spend too much time near the office laser printer. If you're looking for a way to shave a few seconds off your daily routine, try this tip for turning your Mac's AirPort on or off with AppleScript. If you've been using Adobe CS3 apps and have some complaints, suggestions, or bugs to report, find out how to do that here. Firefox users, be sure to update your browser with two patches released today.