Google has been awarded a patent describing a laptop with a built-in smartphone dock. The two devices should both be able to work independently of each other, but share some functions when combined.
The patent was granted to Google in February this year, PatentBolt discovered. The connected smartphone and laptop, which Google probably thinks of successively an Android phone and Chromebook, can according to the description work together to perform different tasks.
The idea behind the patent is probably that the Chromebook has network access everywhere via mobile internet from the smartphone. Conversely, the user can make cell phone calls using the laptop’s microphone, with the device connecting to the phone via voip. The laptop can show notifications for incoming calls. Instant messaging and other communication that the user would normally conduct via his mobile phone can also run via the laptop if the smartphone is integrated. If the laptop has a camera, video conferencing would be possible.
Furthermore, the phone could use the speaker of the Chromebook instead of its own speaker and the smartphone can also use the laptop’s battery to charge. The idea of the patent is reminiscent of the Asus’s PadFone and the Motorola laptop dock, which ceased production in October 2012. With the PadFone, however, the tablet cannot be used without a smartphone and the laptop of Motorola’s Webtop also did not function separately. Google is also awarded many patents every year, which only in very incidental cases lead to final products.