New computers could take a quantum leap, rely on chaos

The personal computer on your desk might seem impressive, but researchers are hard at work on new kinds of computing devices that will offer capabilities far beyond today's binary machines. One of the most talked-about, and most far-out, schemes is quantum computing, wherein the electrical states of individual atoms would replace the on-off logic gates of ordinary silicon chips. Pulses of radio waves can alter the quantum states, thereby storing and retrieving information--in theory.

Earlier this year, a team from MIT, IBM and the University of California at Berkeley demonstrated that a quantum computer could function as an efficient search engine by retrieving four possible pieces of data in a single step. It was the first experimental proof that a quantum computer could outperform a conventional one.

Another novel kind of computing is being researched. Engineers and scientists have developed a computing technique based on chaos, not hard logic. This computer would use a network of lasers that fire chaotically but that collectively can perform coherent mathematical tasks. The scientists speculate that a chaotic computer might give an accurate sense of how the human mind operates, and might be good at pattern recognition--a task people perform exceptionally well.

Free PCs making Internet, computer access easier

They�re starting to pop up everywhere you look  offers for free personal computers for signing on with the right Internet service provider.

The wave of offers led to a sharp rise in computer sales at stores last month, just when a seasonal lull might have been expected.

But as sales rose, prices fell. The average cost of an Intel chip-powered, Windows-equipped PC fell by 20 percent from last year to $890, even without figuring in the $400 rebates used for many computer purchases.

Still, the number of computers sold climbed 35 percent in the month as hardware makers and Internet service providers teamed up to offer the rebates for those agreed to three-year contracts for Internet access.

The modern desktop

Compaq's super-sleek, super-fast Presario 5600 Series has many of tomorrow's PC features today. Available with Pentium II processors as fast as 450MHz and hard drives as big as 12 gigabytes, the Presario 5600 is one of the fastest home PC models to date, and its optional flat-screen color LCD arguably makes it the most futuristic. With both USB and 1394 (Firewire) ports located up front, the Presario 5600 makes it easier than with other PCs to plug in digital cameras and camcorders as well.

Scan this 

Today's flatbed scanners digitize photos and other flat objects. But tomorrow's scanners will digitize 3-D objects. Minolta's Vivid 700 3-D scanner offers a glimpse of that future today. Designed for imaging professionals, the Vivid 700 is the size of a small suitcase, making it the first truly mobile 3-D scanner. Vivid 700 employs an autofocus zoom lens to capture a 400- by 400-point color image in less than 1 second, and 360-degree images can be stitched together from multiple scans.

This technology is not for the light of pocketbook however, with a price of $37,000.

 previous   next