Nanoscale CPUs another step closer

IBM researchers have developed a technique to explore and control magnetism at the atomic level, which is being hailed as an important step in the development of nanoscale microprocessors in which single atoms or groups of atoms perform functions on a chip such as transistors.

An article in Computing says the researchers built a chain of manganese atoms and measured how the magnetic properties changed as each new atom was added, finding that a chain containing an odd number of atoms had net magnetism, but chains with an even number of atoms did not.

The article says the research can possibly also be applied to the field of spintronics, in which researchers they are attempting to build computing devices by altering the electron state of atoms through magnetism.

UK rail operator GNER`s East Coast Mainline trains will provide passengers with WiFi Internet access by August, nine months ahead of schedule.

GNER began testing on-board WiFi in December 2003 on 10 of its Mallard-class trains that run between London and Leeds, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The rail operator now plans to accelerate the roll-out by installing wireless technology in the rest of the Mallard fleet and its 13 diesel high-speed trains.

The Register says the WiFi system is designed by Swedish on-the-move Internet access specialist Icomera and uses line-of-sight satellite links for the main connection, with GPRS and 3G mobile phone links as backup and to provide connectivity when trains are in tunnels and covered stations.

Intel has unveiled its rugged, low-power consumption Community PC platform developed exclusively to meet the needs of the vast rural population in India as part of its initiative to bridge the urban-rural digital divide, reports TechTree.

Intel says its new PC platform is geared to operate in a community setting, while accommodating the varying environmental conditions in the country, particularly heat and dust.

According to Intel, the shared-access Community PC platform solution is the result of extensive ethnographic studies of the rural parts of the country, which indicate a desire for technology access even in the remotest areas.

Microsoft`s Xbox 360 console has broken all records for the sale of a games system in Australia, with sales of 30 421 units and 60 000 games being recorded in the first week.

VNU Net says the previous record for strong console sales in Australia was set by Sony`s PlayStation Portable, which clocked up 27 055 sales in its first week in 2005.

Analyst firm Deloitte predicts that over 80 million adults will be regular video game players by 2010, with the majority of users in Western countries and increasing penetration in developing countries.