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archive: Sep-Oct 2007
Tech-news archive: September-October 2007
Victorian chemistry boosts atom-scale electronics
(Oct 23, 2007)
Ultra-modern electronic components could be made more easily using
a chemical process that was last in vogue in the late 1800s. Research
shows that a chemical compound discovered in 1860 can make good quality
graphene – sheets of carbon a single atom thick with novel electronic
properties. Graphene, which was first isolated in 2004, consists of
carbon atoms arranged in a flat honeycomb structure.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Tiny chips flash memory advance
(Oct 23, 2007)
Electronics giant Samsung has shown off what it claims is the world's
most powerful chip for use in memory cards. The 64 gigabit (Gb) chips
could be used to make flash memory, commonly used in MP3 players,
capable of holding the equivalent of 80 DVDs, the firm said. The chips
are built using circuits with a minimum feature size of just 30 billionths
of a metre (nanometre).
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Light-harvesting nanowire could drive tiny
devices
(Oct 18, 2007)
A nanowire that harvests enough electricity from light to power a
nanoscale circuit has been demonstrated by US researchers. The nanowire,
which resembles a miniscule coaxial cable, is made of layers of silicon
and is the first example of a self-contained nanoscale solar cell.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Drive advance fuels terabyte era
(Oct 15, 2007)
A single hard drive with four terabytes of storage (4TB) could be
a reality by 2011, thanks to a nanotechnology breakthrough by Japanese
firm Hitachi. The company has successfully managed to shrink the read-write
head of a hard drive to two thousands times smaller than the width
of a human hair.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Google 'dominates world search'
(Oct 13, 2007)
Google powered more than half of all search requests carried out around
the world in August, according to a report. A global study by analysts
comScore revealed that more than 61 billion searches were performed
by more than 750 million users in the month. Users performed more
than 37 billion searches via Google, more than all the other major
search engines combined.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Universal avatars bestride worlds
(Oct 12, 2007)
A virtual character, or avatar, for all the virtual worlds in which
people play is the goal of a joint project between IBM and Linden
Lab. The computer giant and the creator of Second Life are working
on universal avatars that can travel between worlds. The project aims
to open up virtual worlds by introducing open tools that work with
any online environment.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Beam me up: Just how close are we to teleportation?
(Oct 11, 2007)
Admit it – at one point or another we've all dreamed of being
able to teleport. How much easier and less stressful life would be
if, at the flick of a switch, we could whisk ourselves direct from
home to work without the intervening two hours crushed onto public
transport, face wedged into the armpit of an overweight man with a
sweat gland problem. Now teleportation, long a staple of the world
of science fiction – what episode of Star Trek would be complete
without Captain Kirk et al "beaming" off the Enterprise onto the surface
of some distant planet? – is being talked of as a serious scientific
possibility.
Read
more. Source: CNN |
Big future beckons for tiny chips
(Sep 24, 2007)
The next step in the silicon industry's steadfast pursuit of ever
smaller and faster chips has been unveiled. Intel has shown off what
it says are the world's first working chips which contain transistors
with features just 32 billionths of a metre wide. Their production
means the industry axiom that has underpinned all chip development
for the last 40 years, known as Moore's Law, remains intact.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Miniature golden artwork unveiled
(Sep 13, 2007)
One of the tiniest artworks ever made has been unveiled by researchers.
The image of the Sun is just 80 microns (millionths of a metre) wide,
less than a tenth of the size of a pinhead. It was made using a novel
nanoprinting technique and is composed of 20,000 gold particles, each
60 nanometres (billionths of a metre) in diameter.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Solar plane flies into the night
(Sep 10, 2007)
A lightweight solar-powered plane has smashed the official world record
for the longest-duration unmanned flight. UK defence firm Qinetiq,
which built the Zephyr unmanned aerial vehicle, said it flew for 54
hours during tests. The researchers believe it is the first time a
solar-powered craft has flown under its own power through two nights.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Apple overhauls entire iPod line
(Sep 6, 2007)
A touch-screen iPod has been added to Apple's popular line of portable
music players. The gadget also has wi-fi and a web browser on-board
so people can buy music when they are out and about. The device was
unveiled by Apple boss Steve Jobs during a press conference that also
showed off revamped versions of the other models of music players.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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