The new 'world's tiniest computer' is smaller than a grain of rice

Not to be outdone by the "world smallest computer" IBM revealed in March, a team at the University of Michigan is calling IBM's bluff with an even smaller computer that's "dwarfed by a grain of rice," measuring just 0.33mm on each side. The university originally held the "world's smallest" trophy with its 2mm x 2mm x 4mm Michigan Micro Mote until IBM's smaller-than-salt 1mm x 1mm computer entered the scene earlier this year. Although the word "computer" brings an image of a miniaturized PC sitting on the tip of your finger, the Michigan team now questions the term. When you power off a desktop or laptop, all the programs and data still reside on the device's internal storage. That can't be said with these "computers" created by IBM and the Michigan team.