This post originally appeared on the SkillStorm blog:

Tele-Tattoo. The New Wave In Staying Connected?
Sources: CNN.Money.com

How far would you go to never miss another call…far enough to get a tattoo? The mobile phone manufacturer Nokia thinks you might at least consider it. Recently the company filed a patent for a solution that would allow magnetic ink tattooed in your skin to interact with a specific electromagnetic field given off by their mobile phone. The result: you feel incoming messages, calls or alarms.

And just like you have personalized ringtones; your tele-tattoo could be personalized with different sensations for various people, text messages, emails and calendar alerts. For those squeamish about tattoos, you’re not going to be left in the dark by Nokia. Their solution for tattoo phobic individual is a magnetic attachable label similar to a sticker.

The next time you’re offered use of the company phone, you might want to think twice about what this could mean. Maybe the real question is how far would you be willing to go to always be connected? Would you get the tattoo if it meant you could have use of your company’s mobile phone?

Tech Companies May Be Getting Their Power From Patents
Sources: Mashable.com

In the dog-eat-dog world of technology, the giants may have found a way to stay ahead of their competition – the patent. Big names like IBM and Microsoft aren’t just developing new software and computer hardware for themselves. These older more established giants are also developing these new technologies for others to buy and lease.

Buying up patents has pitted companies like Facebook, Yahoo, Apple and others in bidding wars and sometimes lawsuits. It seems that stocking up on patents has become a strategic play by many of these younger tech companies, but it’s is also smart business for older, more established giants like IMB.

In the business world of technology, those willing to licenses their patents gain a steady income stream and for those willing to purchase that license or patent, they gain the ability to integrate cutting edge technology into their offerings without the threat of a lawsuit, at least not from the developer.

But what about people like you and me? Share your thoughts, are we winners in this chess game?

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