Hasta La Gadget!

Today Sony’s R&D nerds were let out of their basement prison and allowed a brief glimpse of sunlight. They also announced that they are getting medieval on cables, replacing all the inner wiring of a mobile device with a single copper wire.

The problem with a slider-phone, a flip-out screen or any other gadget with moving parts is that you have to string an array of cables to join those parts together. Sony:

Conventionally, the video, audio and control signals as well as the power transmission were spread out over several dozen cables within the movable mechanisms of mobile devices, such as hinges or rotating parts.

The new invention uses a single wire to squirt video, audio, control signals and even DC-power down the same line. The data is sent at 940Mbps, and using this technique its possible to replace the 20+ wires typically found in a cellphone with just one.

Making a device like this should be a lot simpler to do, saving money and space. Sony is doing the right thing and says it plans to license the IP so others can also use it. Good work, Sony engineers. Now, back to the dungeon. We need you to invent some new, awesomely compatible new wonders. You know, like MemoryStick and MiniDisc.

Newly-developed technology facilitates both internal data transmission and power supply with a single cable [Sony via Engadget]