  Single-electronics and spintronics are among the most intensively
investigated potential complements or alternatives to CMOS electronics.
Single-electronics, which is based on the discrete charge of the electron, is
the ultimate in miniaturization and electro-sensitivity. Spintronics, which is
based on manipulating electron spins,delivers high magneto-sensitivity and
non-volatile memory effects. So far, major developments in the two fields have
followed independent paths with only a few experimental studies of hybrid
single-electronic/spintronic devices. Intriguing new effects have been
discovered in such devices but these have not, until now, offered the
possibility of useful new functionalities. Here we demonstrate a device which
shows a new physical effect, Coulomb blockade anisotropic magnetoresistance,
and which offers a route to non-volatile, low-field, and highly electro- and
magneto-sensitive operation. Since this new phenomenon reflects the
magnetization orientation dependence of the classical single-electron charging
energy it does not impose constraints on the operational temperature associated
with more subtle quantum effects, such as resonant or spin-coherent tunneling.
