8 Gigabytes?

Hard-drive manufacturer Seagate made an announcement a couple of months ago that they were delivering the first 6 GB 1 inch drives. That's an insane amount of data in a 1 inch form factor. Now, they've come back and said they are delivering 8 GB drives to their OEM partners. This is just fabulous! I have long contended that the key to the next revolutionary phase in technology is not processing speed but faster access to more and more data. As the quantity of data that can be accessed increases without detracting from the time to access it, a whole world of possibilities can now be reality. Cameras that can store thousands of hours of high-quality video at usable speeds. Three-dimensional maps can be instantly constructed and retrieved; for example 3-d directions in a high-rise building or massive cruise ship, highly detailed reconstructions of xray images for medical purposes. Think about taking several first-run movies with you on the plane, then using bluetooth to broadcast them to the seat-back screen. Now that's video on demand! Imagine taking full photo-descriptive catalogs of every major store with you to peruse while you wait in the dentists office? Browse the entire Amazon or Barnes & Noble product list, complete with graphics, reviews, etc. any time you want, wherever you want, no wireless needed. Or if you are magazine buff, why not just take the entire newstand with you into the loo? Once I start thinking about it, the ideas just keep on coming. I don't know about you, but I can't stop rubbing my hands with glee and making little Bwwaaa! noises.