You grok me - Stranger in a Strange Land

I got one for free and decided to replace my tilt. I am waiting for the android offerings before buying a new phone - i really would like one of the Samsung Android devices with OLED and hi res screen. Tied for second would be the i-phone/HTC Firestone.

The resolution may be 1366x768 - are the others offering that?

I will tell you what everyone is doing wrong.

Its hard to see the big deal because the article points vage assertions of Intel's conduct.

In the US - it is not illegal to be a monopoly. But if you are a monopoly, your actions are more limited than if you weren't a monopoly. The US likes competition, so monopolies cannot interfere with competition, but non-monopolies can - the reason being there is someone bigger out there. May the best product/service win without cheating or rigging the game. There is a line between being a more efficient corporation and cheating/bullying. The fact that AMD had a better product for a few years yet showed no respective profit - points more to cheating/bullying that it does efficiency. This doesn't mean thats what Intel did - just something doesnt smell right. It could also be that AMD is an inefficient business - which developments as of late, seems more plausible now. I wouldn't easily dismiss either point - that Intel abused its monopoly power or that AMD just doesn't know how to run a business well. But I do think that this fight needs to be fought.

In the US, if a company controls about 70% of the market, its a monopoly. Waiting for an absolute monopoly to occur before acting would be too late.


The goal of a corporation is to make a profit - having a monopoly makes profit-making easier. Capitalism teaches you how to make money - it doesnt provide values though - like competition, fair play, better cars for the environment and for our wallets. That is the big problem of any capitalist regime - there are no values, only profit. The only values held by a corporation are the values of it directors and shareholders. And who cares about values when you are making money? Lie cheat steal murder just to make a profit. The only "real" check on corporations is the state, with competitors a distanct second - remember OPAC (its an oligopoly, not a monopoly, but same rules apply). OPAC is a multi-national conglomerate with too much power and the US is now powerless to assert itself. The world is different now - its not like the 70s anymore.

Bottom line - this investigation gives AMD a fighting chance to survive - otherwise, its curtains for AMD.

Also, think of their invention as a cellular camera, as opposed to a camera with a cellular phone without the phone. Any way you cut it - one skilled in the ar would look at a device which has a phone, cellular capability, a camera, and other wireless connectivity options and think to himself - why don't i take the phone out and put the rest into the camera's body, or into a separate body where the camera attaches itself to?

I have skimmed the patent, so i wont really go into the merits of the application itself. Here are some general things to know.

These are patent applications that are being published, which does not necessarily mean that these will issue into patents. I have seen patent applications on methods to propose marriage to penuematic air-driven system which appears to waste no energy (virtually a perpetual motion machine). Of course these patent applications were denied (and were funny to read). 99.9% of applications are published, and companies like sony can just waste millions on filing patent applications. Just cause its published, doesn't mean it will get patented.

Patent applications go through various amendments - so what you see published may not necessarily reflect the current status of the patent application. One good reason to claim ridiculously broadly with many narrower claims is because maybe the examiner will let all the claims through.

If you are really interested in current trends in patent law, i highly recommend http://www.patentlyo.com/

Bottom line - I read some of the claims, and they will definitely be rejected. But that doesnt mean they can't be amended to overcome the rejection. The general idea of a phone-camera is not novel - but maybe they are doing something different (no matter how small) that would make it non-obvious - think mouse trap vs. better mouse trap.

Esyndel,

There are many considerations - such as geography and technical area. You can also file a patent application yourself, but I suggest talking to a patent practitioner before doing so.

A registry of patent practitioners - both agents and attorneys. https://oedci.uspto.gov/OEDCI/

A listing of the "top" patent and trademark firms in the United States. http://www.iptoday.com/reports.asp

A helpful website for inventors.
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/iip/index.htm

I hope this information is useful. Should you have any questions, just reply to the comment.

They are trying to patent - wait for this - a camera that can act like a cell phone with its various wireless connectivity options, without the phone part? Why didn't I think of this.

Now granted, I have not read the application - maybe there is some other non-obvious feature not posted in the blurb.

To engadget - I am a patent attorney (I am sure some of the readers are too) Instead of posting a blurb, maybe a patent attorney (doesn't have to be me, but i wouldn't mind) could quickly look over the patent and give at least a better description of whats going on?