PALO ALTO, CA - Technology company Hewlett Packard announced today that its researchers have developed a miniature wireless data chip that can store as much as 4 megabits of information.

The Memory Spot chip, measuring 2mm to 4mm square has a transfer rate 10 times faster than Bluetooth™ technology, effectively giving users instant retrieval of digital information in audio, video, photo, or document form.

The tiny chip, approximately the size of a grain of rice, could be secured or embedded in almost any object, freeing content from the electronic world and arranging it in the physical world.

The implications for the corrections industry are far-reaching.  Inmates could carry all of their information, from mugshots to a daily schedule, on a wristband.  Additionally, the chip can provide audio-visual supplements to postcards and photographs for loved ones.

A read-write device that could be incorporated into a cell phone, PDA, camera, or other implement can access the information.

"We are actively exploring a range of exciting new applications for Memory Spot chips and believe the technology could have a significant impact on our consumer businesses," said Howards Taub, HP vice president and associate director, HP labs.

The chip incorporates a built-in antenna and is completely self-contained, with no need for battery or external electronics.