Researchers at Hewlett-Packard Co. have developed a tiny wireless data chip that can store up to 100 pages of text, the company said on Sunday.
Developed over four years by HP Labs' campus in Bristol, England, the chip could ultimately be used in a variety of consumer and commercial applications. The new chip is about the size of the head of a match and could potentially store a patient's medical chart on a hospital band. Consumers could store audio commentary, music or short videos on such a chip, affixed to a printed digital photograph. Devices to read and write data on the chip would then eventually be embedded in cell phones, handheld computers, personal computers, printers, or small standalone readers. HP plans to take the technology to industry standards bodies in hopes of it being welcomed across the technology sector. While broad commercial applications are at least two years away, the company will license the technology to partners, customers and rivals well before that.
