Teknovis

I read that HP was recently granted a patent for transparent glass screen technology. It sounds interesting, and it could enable a new wave of devices. For more details see HP’s see-through screen proposals secure US patent.

If you are wondering how glass may develop in the future, then take a look at this excellent video by Corning:

Here is the same family, using more glass, during the same day:

Here is another one that includes some explanations throughout it:

Enjoy, and be inspired ;)

Tags: Corning, HP

The clever people in General Electric have built a robot that climbs and inspects wind turbines! The full details are in Go Go Gadget: Robotic Crawler Rides Up 300-Foot Poles to Inspect Wind Turbine Blades, and I will include a photo here rather than trying to explain it!

Wind Turbine Climbing Robot (Copyright General Electric)

It looks really cool, and I am very impressed with its suction capabilities!

There are many other interesting stories reported in GE Reports.

Tags: General Electric

I do not think so, but there have been some very interesting development this weekend!

Firstly, Facebook and Yahoo have come to a mutual agreement to share and cross license their patents! See Facebook and Yahoo settle patent and form ad alliance for more details.

Secondly, the UN has decided to intervene by hosting a summit for some of the companies currently involved in the patent wars. I do not know how successful this will be, but I think that it cannot hurt to try to improve the current situation! See Patent war talks to be hosted by UN agency to protect innovation for more details on this story.

Tags: Facebook, Yahoo

It has been a busy week for Apple regarding its patents in court!

Firstly,it had a win in the US where it has (temporarily) blocked sales of some Samsung devices! I think that Google will quickly implement a work-around, so I do not expect consumers to notice the ban in practice! For more details on this story see Apple enforces Galaxy Nexus smartphone ban in the US.

Meanwhile, on the same day, a court in the UK ruled in favour of HTC by finding that some of Apple’s patents were in fact invalid! See HTC defeats Apple in swipe-to-unlock patent dispute for more details. I love the word “obvious” – it is so powerful ;)

It will be interesting to see what happens next, given that the two rulings are somewhat contradictory!

Tags: Apple, Google, HTC, Samsung, UK

Imagine a world where a single company buys radio spectrum licenses, and then rolls-out infrastructure, to create a radio access network (RAN). Imagine that this company then sells this service to mobile phone network operators, who can use it with no capital costs! I call this concept RAN-as-a-Service (RaaS)!

It seems that this idea is becoming more of a reality! Vodafone and Telefónica/O2 are sharing radio resources in the UK according to Vodafone and O2 deal could save around £100m per year, and Vodafone and Three are following suit in Ireland according to Vodafone and 3 in Irish network sharing deal.

Remember – you read about RaaS here first!

Tags: Ireland, O2, Telefónica, Three, UK, Vodafone

Great news today – the EU parliament has blocked Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA)! For further details see Anti-piracy treaty voted down.

This must be embarrassing for the Irish Government (amongst others)!

It is also a great example of how giving more power to a democratically elected EU parliament is good! This is thanks to the Lisbon Treaty!

Somebody told me about the Maker Faire Dublin today. It is probably best described on About:

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker movement. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning.

Makers range from tech enthusiasts to crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, artists, science clubs, students, authors, and commercial exhibitors. They are of all ages and backgrounds. Maker Faire’s mission is to entertain, inform, connect and inspire these thousands of Makers and aspiring Makers.

It seems like an interesting event, and there are some good people and organisations involved in it!

It looks like the EU leaders have finally agreed to proceed with a single EU patent, according to EU leaders agree to introduce a single european patent. You can read a brief overview of the torrid time EU patents have had in European Union patent.

I think that the idea of a single streamlined EU patent is brilliant! I think that it is vital for encouraging innovation and economic activity!

Unfortunately, I think that the politicians are going to dilute the idea to suit their own national interests. For example, I am already disappointed with the following aspects of it:

• The court will be split between London, Paris, and Munich :( One court, in a single location, would be far better!
• The official languages will be English, French, and German. It should be English only! Languages are important, and they are an integral part of our culture. However, patenting activity is not a cultural activity! One language facilitates communications (both within and outside the EU), and it reduces unnecessary costs.
• It appears that Italy and Spain will remain outside of the EU patents. I would prefer if they were included, but ultimately I think that their self-exclusion will hurt themselves more than anybody else!

This really cannot happen soon enough!

Tags: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK