it's very possible that somewhere in the heart of the dispute between the todds and spf, related to the hdd, something got lost in translation. while there's no dispute that the spf accessed and took away shane's laptop on the discovery of his death, there was dispute on the hdd, that it was left on the table as it looked like a speaker accessory and not a hdd. the spf accessed the laptop while the hdd was connected, registering logs/time-stamps on the hdd. there was no clandestine or other suspicious access after discovery of death, as collaborated by the fbi. the access by spf was warranted and justified. however, inadvertently, the spf took the laptop leaving the "speaker" accessory behind. it was this accessory that the todds with help from an electronic forensic specialist based in the u.s. were able to uncover the ime-huawei connection, with regard to gallium nitride research. the spf would have uncovered the connection too, but would they volunteer that info to the todds if the todds did not get hold of the hdd? very likely not. spf typically don't volunteer info in the middle of a dispute. but they claimed they gave the todd's everything including the hdd and full cooperation and disclosure. which to me is pure bs. just this small "insignificant" series of inconsistencies are good enough to cause a pause for thought.
anyway, to rebutt some bozos here who think gallium nitride research is nothing to sneeze about, yes, it's not earth-shattering, ground-breaking material that will give rise to a new military superpower and save the world. the material is not new; it has been in use for years in light emitting diode lamps that can be hardened and used in hostile conditions. the use of it in radar and radio transceivers has vast commercial implications, not forgetting military ones too. old tech is based on gallium arsenide and silicon, but gallium nitride has properties that are quite compelling for compact, outdoor, robust applications. it's the next holy grail for companies looking into next gen rf products. while it's well known among research circles that gan is perhaps the most promising material for high powered rf products so far, the production of high quality, large or optimal amounts in terms of lower cost and consistent reliability/availability remains a challenge. only the u.s. has specialized firms that can produce good quality thin films of gan of the right thickness in sufficient quantity for many applications and products. the production method and equipment and techniques used are patented in the u.s. some aspects of the methodology and production equipment are not for technology transfer or export to other countries, and thus subject to export controls. there are bozos here who simply do not distinguish the subtle difference between material and methodology.
if you wish to discuss gan tech, i'm more than happy to take you on here.