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Archive for July 4, 2006
Flash drives herald end of the hard disk
Jul 4th
Several manufacturers are showing large capacity hard drives based on Flash memory technology at the Computex trade show in Taipei.
The drives are lighter, less power-hungry and far more durable than traditional hard disk drives based on a rotating magnetic platter.The largest on display were PQI‘s 64GB drives, and another company has a 32GB drive.
The PQI drives are working engineering samples with mass production scheduled for August, Bob Chiu, a sales manager with PQI told Techcentral. Apacer was showing a similar 32GB flash drive.
While Flash hard drives have many potential benefits, they also have some drawbacks and are expensive.
Apacer’s 32GB drive, which More >
Computer chip shatters speed records
Jul 4th
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) — A super-cooled computer chip has shattered speed records for silicon-based electronics, but don’t expect your PC to hum along at 500 gigahertz anytime soon.
The chip only ran at the high speed when it was cooled to 451 degrees below zero — just 8 degrees above absolute zero, the coldest temperature possible in nature, researchers at IBM Corp. and Georgia Tech said.
Still, researchers believe they can improve the technology so that high speeds can be reached at room temperature — a development that could lead to advances in cell phones, radar technology and space exploration, among other More >
Google to offer ‘easy’ payment service
Jul 4th
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Google Inc. Thursday will launch a long-awaited service called Google Checkout, which some analysts said could help online merchants boost sales and convince them to commit more advertising money to the Web search leader.
Analysts were mixed on whether the product, initially available only in the United States, puts eBay Inc.’s PayPal online payment system in Google’s competitive sights.
The new offering, referred to in news and analyst reports as GBuy or Google Wallet, promises online sellers an easy way to add a checkout to their sites and can be used in addition to other options such More >