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| Science & Technology |
| Gi-Fi Chip Changes Gadget Tech |
| 2008-02-22 |
| A new silicon chip developed in Melbourne is predicted to revolutionise the way household gadgets like televisions, phones and DVD players talk to each other. The tiny five-millimetre-a-side chip can transmit data through a wireless connection at a breakthrough five gigabits per second over distances of up to 10 metres. An entire high-definition movie from a video shop kiosk could be transmitted to a mobile phone in a few seconds, and the phone could then upload the movie to a home computer or screen at the same speed. The "GiFi" was unveiled today... ...His chip uses only a tiny one-millimetre-wide antenna and less than two watts of power, and would cost less than $10 to manufacture. It uses the 60GHz "millimetre wave" spectrum to transmit the data, which gives it an advantage over WiFi (wireless internet). WiFi's part of the spectrum is increasingly crowded, sharing the waves with devices such as cordless phones, which leads to interference and slower speeds. But the millimetre wave spectrum (30 to 300 GHz) is almost unoccupied, and the new chip is potentially hundreds of times faster than the average home WiFi unit. However, WiFi still benefits from being able to provide wireless coverage over a greater distance. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #2 60GHZ takes some expensive stuff. Chips get strange... No wires on your circuit board for signals... just waveguides. More power to them but its not going to be cheap. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-02-22 12:26 |
| #1 I'll believe in breakthrough technology when I can sit down in my living room and run all the stuff from one remote. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-02-22 11:17 |