Intel officially unveiled its Intel Centrino 2 Processor Technology products for laptops today, powered by five new Intel Core 2 Duo processors.
Close to 250 consumer and business notebook PC designs are on the way, Intel said.
Intel also introduced its first dual-core mobile processor, the Intel Core2 Extreme processor running at 3.06 GHz, as measured by SPECint_rate_base2006, an industry benchmark (www.spec.org).
Rounding out a mobile-focused summer for the company, Intel said it also plans to unveil eight processors within 90 days that will include first-ever mobile quad-core products and second-generation products for ultra-thin and light notebooks.
Formerly codenamed Montevina, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology and Intel Centrino 2 with vPro Technology improve upon every facet of a laptop's main features, including performance and battery life via new processors and chipsets, faster draft 802.11n wireless (with WiMAX arriving later this year), and new business-class manageability capabilities.
"When we first introduced Intel Centrino back in 2003, there were very few Wi-Fi hotspots, YouTube videos and social media didn't really exist, ?thin and light' only referred to weight goals and desktop PCs outsold notebooks by a very wide margin," said Mooly Eden, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the company's Mobile Platforms Group. "Today, notebooks outsell desktops in the U.S, and we're paving the way to HD entertainment, rich online gaming, faster broadband wireless speeds and an easier and more secure way for businesses to manage, update and repair their notebook fleets."
Intel is introducing five dual core processors based on Intel's reinvented transistors (high-k metal gate formula) and 45-nanometer manufacturing process. These processors come with a faster 1066MHz front side bus and up to 6MB of L2 cache, and three versions reduce laptop processor wattage about 30 percent, down to just 25 watts. Also featured is Deep Power Down Technology that turns off processing components such as core clocks and cache memory when the laptop is idle for greater energy savings.
Intel also unveiled its Mobile Intel 45 Express Chipset and wireless Intel Wi-Fi Link 5000 series that is shipping to customers now, with laptops arriving later in July and August. Delivering five times the speed and twice the range of older 802.11a/g technology, the Intel Wi-Fi Link 5000 series provides 802.11 draft-N support that delivers the fastest data rates possible today -- up to 450 Mbps.
Switchable graphics, a new optional power-saving feature available on Intel Centrino 2-based notebooks, provides both integrated and discrete graphics on a single notebook, enabling users to switch between the two options. Switchable graphics delivers greater 3-D performance when needed while providing the option for greater power savings for the best of both worlds.
For consumers, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology delivers the horsepower and battery life to enjoy a typical full-length, Blu-ray high-definition video on a single battery charge for the first time, plus the ability to play a variety of online games, download music or post videos faster than before.
For businesses, Intel Centrino 2 with vPro technology offers enhanced manageability and security options. Improved manageability with AMT 4.0 has also been added that provides wireless manageability during system sleep states, ongoing remote configuration capabilities, support for next-generation management standards (WS-MAN and DASH 1.0) and the ability for an employee to initiate communications to IT from outside a company's firewall.
In related news, Intel said that it will begin shipping its first-ever combined WiMAX/Wi-Fi module, part of the Intel WiMAX/Wi-Fi Link 5050 Series that is an optional feature for future Intel Centrino 2-based laptops. The release is scheduled for later this year in the United States.