Small is beautiful: Technology in your pocket
Posted on 12/10/2015 at 10:35 AM - Administrator
The year is half over and we’ve seen a mountain of gadgets. Apple Watch and wearables generally; virtual reality viewers; 3-D printers that are also scanners; drones; the explosion of the ultra-high-definition format (4K) for televisions and gaming; incredible high-resolution screens on phones; faster mobile networks — the list goes on.
In terms of impact, Elon Musk’s Powerwall lithium-ion battery unit takes the cake. It stores renewable energy locally. Powerwall units are already sold out until mid-next year.
Meanwhile, the nanotechnology revolution continues. Computer components are even tinier. For example, a computer graphics card for gamers released this month by chipmaker AMD has 8.5 billion transistors. It means you can buy a fast, high-end computer that fits in your pocket, complete with one terabyte of storage, with a low-power central processing unit and large yet cheaper solid state drives. Lower power means less heat generated, less ventilation needed, hence less space.