Latest Gadgets

The Next Big thing? The memristor, a microscopic component that can "remember" electrical states even when turned off. It's expected to be far cheaper and faster than flash storage.

 A theoretical concept since 1971, it has now been built in labs and is already starting to revolutionize everything we know about computing, possibly making flash memory, RAM, and even hard drives obsolete within a decade.

The memristor is just one of the incredible technological advances sending shock waves through the world of computing. Other innovations in the works are more down-to-earth, but they also carry watershed significance. From the technologies that finally make paperless offices a reality to those that deliver wireless power, these advances should make your humble PC a far different beast come the turn of the decade.

In the following sections, we outline the basics of 15 upcoming technologies, with predictions on what may come of them. Some are breathing down our necks;

some advances are still just out of reach. And all have to be reckoned with.

Like most computer viruses, ransomware often arrives in the form of a phishing email, or spam, or a fake software update - and the recipient clicks a link or opens an attachment.
The virus then sets to work encrypting the user's files.
Once the computer is effectively locked down, it demands a fee - often in bitcoins because it is less easy to trace - for the return of the files

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The fee is generally one or two bitcoins - the equivalent of about $500 (£330).
It is less common now, but in the earlier days of the malware - about five years ago - the ransom note could take the form of a law enforcement notice.
The user was directed to a web page that appeared to be from, for example, the FBI, falsely claiming illegal images of children had been been found on the machine and a fine was payable.
There is generally a time limit to comply, after which the ransom increases.Neil Douglas, from Edinburgh-based IT company Network Roi, has just helped a small business client whose server was hit by ransomware.

"We had to recover everything from back-up. We'd had a back-up two minutes before the infection, so the timing couldn't have been any better - but it did result in quite a bit of downtime," he says.
"You could risk paying them - but it's a bit like paying a blackmailer. We would only recommend it as a last resort.
"You don't know whether they'll come back for more, you don't know that they'll clear the infection."
Cybersecurity expert Prof Alan Woodward says paying also leaves you vulnerable to further cybercrime.
"As soon as you pay up, you get on a suckers' list and you'll probably get contacted again," he says.
"It's low-hanging fruit for the criminals."