Gadgets Getting Smaller

Reported March 2006

SUNNYVALE, Calif. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Experts say we're no longer in the technology revolution, but in the technology evolution. The next step is to make everything we use shrink. That's why gadgets like cell phones and laptops get smaller and smaller, yet can do more.

From our cell phones to our laptops to our MP3 players, everything is getting smaller and smaller and smaller. Zack Weisfeld, general manager of M-Systems in Sunnyvale, Calif., says, "I just need a screen, I need a keyboard, and basically, I carry my computer with me."

A USB flash drive uses a flash memory chip to store all of your computer applications and files just like a hard drive. Weisfeld says, "A USB flash drive means you can store a thousand disks in a little thing."

Not only can a flash memory chip hold a huge amount of information, but it also protects your info better. Unlike a hard drive, it has no moving parts inside to damage the memory. All that and the chip is smaller than a push pin.

"What many people don't realize is they use a lot of flash every day," Weisfeld tells Ivanhoe. The tiny little chip is a household item and often goes unnoticed because it's buried inside devices. Flash memory technology makes it possible to have small cell phones capable of Internet access and video games.

Experts say, next, flash memory will appear in laptops. Esther Spanjer, an electrical engineer for M-Systems, says, "In another year or so, you will see the first commercial flash disk drives on the market that you will put in your laptop vs. a standard hard disk drive." They say as the size goes down, the power of these devices will continue to grow.

The only limitation of flash right now is the price, which is comparable to a hard drive with up to 60 gigabytes of memory. Flash technology is also used in memory sticks for cameras and in cars that have info-tainment and GPS systems.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

M-Systems Inc.
555 N. Mathilda Ave. Suite 220
Sunnyvale, CA 94085, USA
408-470-4440
Info@m-systems.com

For more information about engineering, contact:

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. IEEE-USA
1828 L Street, N.W., Suite 1202
Washington, D.C. 20036-5104
Tel: +1 202 785 0017
ieeeusa@ieee.org
http://www.ieee.org

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