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Apple nabs more patents for multitouch, iWork

As the patent battles and bubbles continue to grow, Apple has secured the rights to several more patents of its own.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published a series of 16 patents now owned by the Cupertino, Calif.-based company, according to Patently Apple.

Here's a rundown on some of the patents that stand out and where we could see them implemented within the Apple empire:

A multitouch related patent designed to reduce the manufacturing cost and performance of these types of displays. (Likely for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch collection, but possibly for a new Mac desktop series … Read more

Car Tech Live 228: Mini Connected app (podcast)

Ford EV's will run on solar...sort of. Harman Kardon blends home tech and car tech. Andy Rooney could live without all of it. And we drive the Mini Cooper Clubman and its connected app.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 228 SHOW NOTES

• CNET checks the tech in the Mini Cooper Clubman JCW

• Ford offers solar panels to go with its EVs

• Google self-driving car crashes--it wasn't driving.

• BMWs will now read Facebook and Twitter updates to you

• CNET's LOLCars gallery!

High-speed rail to get $336 million more from feds

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday announced his office is dispersing an additional $336.2 million in funds toward the massive U.S. high-speed rail public works project underway.

This time, the money is going for the trains themselves.

Including this latest release, $782 million has been dispersed for purchasing 33 locomotives and 120 bi-level train cars for California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington.

The federal government has now allocated a total of $10.1 billion, set aside via the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, for the introduction of high-speed rail as well as updates … Read more

Netflix, DreamWorks Animation in licensing talks, report says

Netflix is close to reaching an agreement to license content from DreamWorks Animation and a deal could get done as soon as this week, according to a published report.

The news comes with Netflix due to report earnings after the close of trading today and with scores of Netflix customers deciding whether the company's streaming library is worth an upcoming fee increase.

Bloomberg is reporting that Netflix and DreamWorks Animation, the maker of such films as "Shrek," "Madagascar," and "Kung Fu Panda" are still in talks but that it appears Netflix will take … Read more

Apple releases Lion-compatible iTunes and iWork updates

After the release of OS X 10.7 Lion this morning, Apple has released a few software updates to bring some of its applications up-to-date to work well with the features that Lion has to offer. These features include the option to run applications in full-screen mode, automatically save versions of documents and make them available through the document's title bar, and support Lion's Resume feature so windows and applications can be relaunched in their current state after restarting or logging out.

The updates are for iWork, available as a 79.66MB download through the iWork support page, … Read more

Review: Mac OS X Lion

The bottom line: Mac OS X Lion is definitely a worthy upgrade for all Intel Mac users. Featuring several interface enhancements and useful new features across all the core apps, Mac OS X Lion is an excellent update for the price.

Review: When Apple showed off Mac OS X Lion at the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote speech earlier this year, it was clear the company had paid attention to its successes with the popular iOS devices, and was now beginning to include successful iOS features in its flagship OS. Also, with Apple laptops and tablets now far outpacing desktop sales, … Read more

GoAtlantis iOS app spots space shuttle in real time

We're counting down to one last NASA space shuttle launch on Friday. This is it. No more space shuttles. It will be your last chance to gaze up into the night sky and see the pinpoint shining light of the shuttle above you.

The GoAtlantis app for iPhone and iPad will help you pick out Space Shuttle Atlantis from the usual satellites and stars. The app tracks the trajectory of both the space shuttle and International Space Station.

GoAtlantis uses your location to tell you when the station and shuttle will be passing over and what direction to look. Choose from world or sky views with trajectory lines that trace the orbits. You can practice with the space station tracking until the shuttle launches. Shuttle information will be updated in real time once the spacecraft gets off the planet.… Read more

Quick, before the boss gets back!

Paper Toss is an extremely simple but still fairly addictive game that simulates the time-honored office pastime of tossing crumpled pieces of paper into a trash can. In the game's interface, you hold your Android mobile device vertically as you flick a wad of paper toward the target can, attempting to account for a blowing fan when you calculate your trajectory. The fan changes sides and speed for each shot, and Paper Toss features three levels of difficulty, with the trash can at varying distances.

Where this game really shines, though, is in its production values: the crisp visuals, … Read more

Mini shows of 2012 Cooper Coupe in photos, video

Recently, we got a sneak peek at the upcoming Mini Cooper Coupe, the smallest--and possibly funkiest-looking--Mini of them all. However, the interesting bits of the new chopped roof were obscured by camouflage. This week, we've got photos and videos of the undisguised 2012 Cooper Coupe and it looks a bit like we expected it to.

Mini calls the new top a "helmet roof," but I think it looks more like the Coupe is wearing a backward baseball cap. Classy. The new top features an integrated roof spoiler that aids in channeling air over the rear window and … Read more