IBM

Scientists at IBM have developed a new digital storage technology that will be capable of storing much more data than current storage technologies. The so called "racetrack" memory could allow MP3 players, mobile phones and a host of other devices to store up to half a million songs or close to 3,500 movies.

The technology stores data in columns of magnetic material arranged on the surface of a silicon chip. The information is actually stored in the spin of electrons in the material, and moves around the columns at very high speeds, hence "racetrack." This allows racetrack memory to operate much more quickly than traditional hard drives. The technology is also inexpensive to produce and very energy efficient - researchers at an IBM facility in San Jose said the technology would run on a single charge for "weeks at a time." Like flash memory racetrack technology has no moving parts, which makes it

Researchers at IBM have developed a prototype of an an optical network that is both extremely fast and energy efficient. The new technology, which uses lights to transmit data rather than wires, could deliver huge amounts of bandwidth to a variety of devices, from supercomputers to cell phones.

This technology is capable of transmitting data at a rate of eight trillion bits (terabits) per second, the equivalent of about 5,000 streams of high definition video, using only the power of a single 100-watt light bulb. This kind of speed could potentially bring high definition video to mobile phones. The energy efficiency is consistent with recent green computing initiatives as well. The "green optical link"

A cooperative effort between IBM and Apple will soon lead to Lotus Notes for your iPhone or iPod Touch. IBM plans to formally announce the software's availability for Apple devices at next week's Lotusphere conference in Orlando, Fla. With Microsoft as their main competitor, the arrangement

stands to be mutually beneficial. Taking advantage of Apple's success in providing alternatives to Microsoft products, IBM should be able to proliferate its own software. In turn, with an estimated 135