"A universal computer would validate so much of what's been said about nanotech, " Lieber says, slowing down to savor the prospect.

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And still out there waiting to be created is that most elusive of breakthroughs--a nanoscale "universal computer" that can do any kind of computation.

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Presper Eckert and John Mauchly -- was well on its way toward completing a new, faster computer called the Univac (Universal Automatic Computer).

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Yortsos said the system will break new ground, much like the first commercially available computer in the United States, the Universal Automatic Computer (Univac).

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Smartphones of various kinds are the universal global computer, essentially, and the huge audience means companies such as Angry Birds creator Rovio can become huge very fast.

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"I've found the universal pain point of computer administrators, " he says.

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The GameCam camera connects to your computer by Universal Serial Bus.

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It's time to gear up with the right tech and turn your smartphone, e-reader or tablet computer into the universal library it was destined to be.

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Power-Over-Ethernet could end up being a universal power supply for much computer hardware as the cables and connectors for it are the same all over the world.

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Since the days of Alan Turing, the promise of a digital computer has been that of a universal machine, one that can be a word processor one minute and a robot brain the next.

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