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New Chip Downloads Media in Seconds

By Brittani Moncrease
Black College Wire

Excitement grows as the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) announces its new product.

www.news.com via The Hilltop IBM has developed a new chip to transfer data files in five seconds.

Specializing in computer technology, IBM has partnered with a Taiwanese company, MediaTek, to engineer a new high-speed downloading chip, temporarily given the name mmWave, which is translated to millimeter wave radio technology.

With the new chip, consumers will be able to download large multimedia data or files, up to 10GB, in five seconds on televisions and handheld devices.

After discovering IBM's new mmWave chip, Jahi Whitehead, a Howard University junior audio production major, tests a new iPod with the chip impacted. Holding the device containing the chip near his computer which also has the chip, Whitehead eagerly anticipates the trial.

He does not believe the speed of the chip until he searches for a video on his computer to download to his iPod.

The moment he presses download on the keypad, Whitehead has only taken three slow, deep breaths before he realizes that his video has already been saved in his handheld device.

Some people find it hard to believe a chip the size of a dime, can download a massive amount of data in so little time.

IBM media representative Michael Loughran did not offer any comments about the new chip. Because the mmWave chip is still new, there are more tests that need to be run to reduce its possible defects.

The mmWave chip is not expected to be added to handheld devices until 2010.

Wi-Fi, a wireless technology company is one of IBM's high speed competition companies.

With the new mmWave chip, IBM can produce faster high speed downloads. Taking up to 10 minutes, Wi-Fi consumers, can download large files.

Buzz about the new chip has already circulated. Whitehead, proclaims, "it is good for technology and will allow people to do more work faster away from the office."

Whitehead also confirms that he would get devices offering the new chip since he is "in the media business where everything is done at a fast pace."

People who are constantly busy working will be able to download their files onto any handheld device they may posses.

Although people would not mind buying devices containing the new chip, some feel it could possibly be unsafe.

One skeptic is Angela Cummings, a Howard sophomore physician's assistant. "The long-term effects of high-power radio frequencies have not been tested yet. It could interfere with other frequencies such as cell phones."

This is often seen when cell phones are near radios or televisions; a buzzing or static sound may occur. This cross between frequencies can at times damage various electronics.

Cummings believes that there are enough frequencies in the air. "I, personally, do not even like the use of cell phones because of the frequencies they send through the human body," Cummings said.

Frequency signals can affect human health. They can damage brain cells and in some cases cause cancer. Cummings said, "wireless has not been fully understood yet. More and more information is being learned about it."

If people began using the chip, Cummings said, "PDAs, televisions and other handheld devices will have to be compatible with the device which means more money spent."

Money would become a great issue in consumers' selection of devices with the mmWave chip compacted.

A price has not been determined yet because the chip is not on the market. Today's technology is becoming much easier and quicker. Because of companies like IBM, consumers are able to accomplish more tasks frequently. The mmWave chip is yet another step toward advanced high technology and information that is constantly being achieved.

Brittani Moncrease writes for The Hilltop, Howard University's student newspaper, which originally published a version of this article.

Posted Dec. 5, 2007