Is Intel Really a Criminal Organization?

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed an antitrust lawsuit against chip giant Intel. The suit alleges that Intel used "bribery and coercion to maintain a stranglehold on the market" as part of a "worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct."

Wow! Really?

The activity in question centers around strong-arm tactics allegedly used by Intel to convince PC makers to not use rival AMD chips.

We've heard all this before. Compaq's CEO in 2000, Michael Capellas, described Intel's alleged habit of coercion to AMD by saying he "had a gun to his head." Four years later, Gateway executives apparently told AMD that Intel "beat them into guacamole" for a limited purchase of AMD chips.

Cuomo said in a statement that Intel "robbed" consumers of "better products and lower prices." He also alleges that Intel "bribed" partners with "payoffs," then covered up the crime by weasel-wording contracts and other records.

"Gun"? "Beat"? "Robbed"? "Bribed"? What is this, the Sopranos?


 


Gadget geek dream car coming in 3 years
 

As a 2010 Toyota Prius, it may not be the fastest car on the road. On the other hand, it just might be fastest from a data connectivity perspective. It comes with built-in Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile broadband connectivity, which enables speeds of 100 Mbps or more (more than four times the speed of 3G).

 The car also provides entertainment for passengers, including a network-based home-control system that enables the downloading into the car of movies stored on the home DVR. Back-seat passengers get video-on-demand, gaming, music, social networking access and other Web applications. The car is also a Wi-Fi hotspot, so anyone with a smart phone or laptop can connect to the network as well. Get the details.

 

Now this is an awesome security camera

Homeowners protect their loved ones and property by installing surveillance cameras around the house to detect intruders. But what about those of us who travel constantly, or live in specific places only temporarily? We want security, too! Check this out!

 

Car power inverter looks like a cup of coffee!

A catalog site called Delight.com sells a 200-Watt coffee cup inverter that gives you not one but two standard outlets, plus a USB port for charging gadgets. And it's in the shape of a Starbucks cup! The $32.50 Powercup inverter fits right into your cup holder, so it's by definition in a handy location.

 

Why is technology always out to get us? 

We all love our PCs and gadgets, don't we? Technology publications like this one (and columnists like me) love to wax eloquent about the wonders of the iPhone, the joys of Twitter and the un-Vista like qualities of Windows 7. Sure, technology is all fun and games -- until somebody gets hurt. I'd like to freak you out with some newly reported threats that only Debbie Downer could love.

 

USB Gadget Hall of Shame

What kind of Mickey Mouse operation would sell USB cables like this?



News You Can Lose

Large Hadron Collider shut down by a piece of bread dropped by a bird.

China bans physical punishment for Internet addicts.

Apple's iTunes App Store has 100k apps, but only 20% are actually used.

Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina running for US Senate.

NYT reporter David Rohde says when he was kidnapped by the Taliban in Pakistan, they Googled him to find out who he was.

 

Cell Phone Follies

iPhone bombs in China (only 5,000 sold in first weekend). I already told you why.

A flashly new phone honoring the King of Pop has been manufactured by the King of Crap -- some shanzai company in China. The phone comes packaged with a Jackson live-performance DVD (probably counterfeit), and is studded with plastic diamonds.

Bangs is a Sudanese rapper living in Egypt who crafted this horrible music video. In the video, Bangs tries to convince the unnamed object of his affection to go to the movies with him at 4pm by flashing bling, Italian sports cars, American cash and... an iPhone. Here comes the video!
 

Gotta-Get-It Gadgets

It looks just like an old-school pinball machine. In reality, the games are digital, and come in 17 game title varieties. The $6,000 game console is from Nanotech, and it's called the Multipin. The game surface is really a 32-inch high-def LCD display under glass. Controls, including plunger and flipper buttons, are mechanical.

 

Mystery Pic o' the Week

What is it? Post your guess in the comments section of this Posterous page. If you're first with the right answer, you'll earn the dubious honor of getting your name in the next issue of Mike's List!. If you're first with the right answer, you'll earn the dubious honor of getting your name in the next issue of Mike's List!

LAST WEEK'S MYSTERY PIC: No, it's not an iPod video projector, a light show projected on the front of the White House or even Madoff's prison cell as suggested by some readers. In fact, it's the MXXL 24 AH M-Cab, a $3 million made-to-order ultra-rugged, ultra-luxurious RV. The vehicle is secure, wired, connected (via two auto-tracking satellites) and versitile. It has burglarproof skylights, HD cameras all around, HD TV, big refridgerator, full kitchen, all-wheel drive -- the works. Check out the details and see more pictures. Congratulations to me for coming up with a Mystery Pic nobody could guess!

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STEAL THIS NEWSLETTER!: You have permission to post, e-mail, copy, print or reproduce this newsletter as many times as you like, but please do not modify it. Mike's List is written and published from deep inside the black heart of Silicon Valley by Mike Elgan. The Mike's List newsletter is totally independent, and does not accept advertising, sponsorships or depraved junkets to sunny resorts. Mike writes and speaks about technology culture, smart phones, smart people, random gadgets, bad ideas, weird computers, painful implants, malicious robots and the Internet.