Intel officialy today announced the "Santa Rosa" mobile platform, an update for the previous Centrino platform, hoping to keep it at the top of the fastest-growing segment of the personal computer market.

Intel's new product is not a processor but is instead a platform -- a whole package of components including the main processor as well as all the secondary chips that add features such as the ability to connect to a wireless network.

"Santa Rosa" is the code-name for the latest big overhaul of Centrino, Intel's hugely successful laptop platform brand that helped popularize the Wi-Fi wireless technology now standard in the industry.

At the heart of the new Intel Centrino Duo and Intel Centrino Pro processor technology-based notebooks is the next-generation of Intel's Core2 Duo processor. Users will experience improved performance when running multiple applications simultaneously such as downloading a video clip while doing a virus scan. The new hardware will boost performance and battery life by storing some data on flash memory like that found in digital media players and digital cameras.

In addition, the Mobile Intel 965 Express chipset family with Intel Clear Video Technology enables an enhanced high-definition video experience. Users can also share their content with family and friends via TV easier than before with Intel TV Wizard, which is a simplified way to connect to HD-enabled TVs.

In order to download or upload digital content faster from the Internet, the available Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N provides 802.11AGN WLAN capability and delivers twice the wireless access range.

Last, Intel Turbo Memory is an optional feature that can access frequently used software applications twice as fast and reduce the amount of time it takes to turn on, or boot-up, a laptop by as much as 20 percent.

So far, PC manufacturers have drawn up 230 system designs using Santa Rosa, about 50 more than the last Centrino update.