Unfortunately, we can't speak of such a device yet, but the new form of digital storage technology currently under development at IBM could, at least according to the semiconductor giant's claims, provide 10 times the storage capacity and battery life of handheld gadgets, as the iPod or iPhone!
IBM's "racetrack" memory is said to store data inside the walls that exist between magnetic domains - those arranged on the silicon wafer's surface, in this case. According to IBM, the future implementations of this technology could lead to portable media players able to hold half million songs, or even more, run with a single battery charge for weeks and, best of all, have lower production costs than today's models.
Stuart Parkin, the leader of IBM's research team at the centre in San Jose, California, said "The promise of racetrack memory - for example, the ability to carry massive amounts of information in your pocket - could unleash creativity leading to devices and applications that nobody has imagined yet."
So...are we supposed to wait for another decade or so until this technology becomes reality? Let's hope not, but since the racetrack memory could lead to "three-dimensional micro-electronics', breaking with the tradition of scientists trying to fit an ever greater number on transistors on an ultra-thin piece of silicon shaped like a wafer," probably this is only the beginning...