Graphene to pave way for new generation of faster mobiles, computers

Engineers have paved the way for a new generation of faster, more powerful cell phones, computers and other electronics by developing a practical technique to replace silicon with carbon on large surfaces.The developers of this novel technique that harnesses the power of carbon for more powerful electronics are Princeton nanotechnologist Stephen Chou, professor of electrical engineering and graduate student Xiaogan Liang.Stephen Chou said that the capabilities of silicon, the material at the heart of computer chips, has been harnessed beyond its limits by engineers, and carbon has come up as an intriguing replacement for the same. The material called graphene which is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice, could let electronics to process information and produce radio transmissions 10 times better than silicon-based devices. However, switching from silicon to carbon has not been possible until now because technologists thought that they needed graphene material in the same form as the silicon used to make chips- a single crystal of material eight or 12-inches wide. Till date, the largest single-crystal graphene sheets made have not been wider than a couple millimeters, which is not big enough for a single chip. The researchers realized that a big graphene wafer is not needed, until they could place small crystals of graphene only in the active areas of the chip. A novel method was thus developed, in order to achieve this goal and demonstrated it by making high-performance working graphene transistors. "Our approach is to completely abandon the classical methods that industry has been using for silicon integrated circuits," said Chou. In the new method, the researchers made a special stamp consisting of a collection of tiny flat-topped pillars, each one-tenth of a millimeter wide. They pressed the pillars against a block of graphite (pure carbon), cutting thin carbon sheets, sticking to the pillars. The stamp was then removed, peeling away a few atomic layers of graphene.

Top 5 Business Phones - Growing in Popularity

A business phone comes with some very innovative features that make it perfect for globe trotting executives who need to keep a tab on their job - even when they are on the move. One could say that a laptop would be better suited for this purpose. However, given the features and specifications of some of the latest business phones, the reader would find that these handsets are more than adequate to support users in handling high-pressure business situations.
We can take the case of the HTC P4350 to drive home the point. The HTC P4350 is a mobile phone that can be used as an office device with the greatest of ease. This third generation handset runs on the Windows mobile 5.0 OS. With round-the-clock Internet connectivity and easy access to emails - theHTC P4350 is quite the device for busy professionals. Moreover, the integrated multimedia capabilities keep users entertained and refreshed while they are busy dealing with deadlines and work pressures.
The Nokia E90 is another powerful phone from brand Nokia that can also be used in specific business environs. One could view office documents and make the most of the comprehensive connectivity options to convey ideas and suggestions to colleagues. The 3G(HSDPA), Wi-Fi, HSCSD connectivity options are more than adequate for the purpose.
Another phone that is worth mentioning is the Nokia E61i. The QWERTY keyboard with a 5-way scroll key is easy to use. With GPRS, EDGE,HSCSD, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and USB support, the connectivity options are quite exhaustive. Powered by an ARM 9 220 MHz processor, the Nokia E61i would deliver high speed downloads. The Li-Po 1500mAh battery is quite dependable and would not let users down when they are in need of the handset.
The Samsung i600 Phone is another mobile phone that comes with some of the best business applications. With a web-browser, email client, 3G connectivity options, andPIM functionality, this Samsung mobile can take care of quite a few needs of the modern day business user.
Last but not the least, the Samsung i600 is a 3G smartphone with a slim profile and a QWERTY keyboard. One could call the handset a multimedia computer - thanks to the powerful processor, HSDPA features, GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB options that are a part of the same.