Intel
launches Intel Centrino mobile technology
Posted: 12 March 2003
Dubai — Intel Corporation introduced Intel®
Centrino™ mobile technology, integrating wireless capability
into a new generation of mobile PCs that will bring business users
and consumers greater freedom to connect in new places and in new
ways.
Representing Intel’s best technology for mobile PCs, Intel
Centrino mobile technology includes a new mobile processor, related
chipsets and 802.11 wireless network functions that have been optimised,
tested and validated to work together. In addition to wireless communications,
Intel Centrino mobile technology includes features designed to enable
extended battery life, thinner and lighter notebook designs, and
outstanding mobile performance.
“Unwiring the PC will fundamentally change the way people
use computers, allowing them to communicate, be productive or be
entertained wherever and whenever they want,” said Craig Barrett,
Intel chief executive officer.
“Our focus on integrating all the elements of mobility allows
Intel Centrino mobile technology to deliver an outstanding wireless
computing experience and marks the first time we’ve put a
combination of technologies under a single brand.
This breakthrough innovation, together with industry-wide investment
and WiFi hotspot deployments, brings computing and communications
capabilities to businesses and consumers, adding new value to mobile
PCs.”
Intel Centrino mobile technology-based notebook PCs are available
immediately from leading computer makers worldwide. Computer shoppers
can identify these notebooks by a Centrino brand logo featuring
a striking magenta colour and the Intel Inside mark.
Accelerating “Hotspot” Deployment Worldwide
Hotspots – locations where users can connect using 802.11
wireless technology – are on the rise, which is enabling users
to be more mobile than ever. According to industry analyst firm
IDC, there will be more than 118,000 hotspots worldwide by 2005.
Using a truly mobile notebook computer can change the way people
live. With notebooks based on Intel Centrino mobile technology,
a business traveller can check office email or read the hometown
newspaper online while waiting for a flight at the airport, and
still have battery life left to watch a DVD movie on the plane ride
home.
A real estate agent can check the latest listings wirelessly while
dining with prospective homebuyers. A financial planner can check
the market and activate client orders while at a seminar without
compromising on the performance necessary to run the most demanding
office applications. Students can register for next semester’s
classes or seek a part-time job from the college library, all on
a sleek, lightweight system that won’t drag them down.
"We are very proud to be able to bring this latest wireless
technology to the Arab World at the same time as the rest of the
world. Many retailers are already witnessing the majority of their
PC sales are in laptop format. I am sure this trend will continue
and actually accelerate with our new combination of computing and
wireless technologies. We are sure it will change a lot of peoples'
lives", said Gilbert Lacroix, General Manager Intel Middle
East and North Africa.
"This region already has some of the worlds earliest adopters
of this wireless technology. The Higher Colleges of Technology have
been working with wireless technology for nearly two years and two
weeks ago signed a world first memorandum of understanding with
us for the roll-out off a wireless infrastructure in all 11 of their
campuses," concluded Lacroix.
As part of the introduction of Intel Centrino mobile technology,
Intel has been working with leading wireless network service providers,
hotels, airports, retail and restaurant chains worldwide to accelerate
deployment and increase awareness of wireless public hotspots.
In addition to marketing and promotional activities, Intel developed
the Wireless Verification Programme which includes engineering and
testing of the Intel Centrino mobile technology with various access
point devices, software combinations, hotspot locations and wireless
service providers to verify they are all compatible, further enhancing
the end user’s wireless experience.
Intel’s efforts worldwide have already resulted in thousands
of verified hotspots. The company expects to verify more than 10,000
by the end of the year.
Intel has also created a standardised worldwide Wireless Identifier
Programme that includes signs to help users identify where they
can connect wirelessly. The programme informs users that a particular
service provider’s network has been verified with Intel Centrino
mobile technology.
In addition, the company last year created a $150 million fund to
invest in companies that are helping to expand and accelerate the
infrastructure and capabilities required to make wireless computing
ubiquitous.
The Technology Inside
The technology represented by the Intel Centrino mobile technology
brand combines the Intel Pentium® M processor, the Intel®
855 Chipset Family and the Intel® PRO/Wireless 2100 Network
Connection. All components were optimised, validated and tested
to work together with mobility in mind.
The processor is based on a new mobile optimised micro-architecture
that delivers higher performance and lower power consumption, to
enable longer battery life over today’s mainstream systems.
Key features include: Micro-Ops Fusion which combines two micro-operations
into one, enabling it to execute faster and at lower power, Advanced
Instruction Prediction – a new implementation technique –
to help to reduce overall latency in the system contributing to
higher performance at lower power and the Dedicated Stack Manager,
which reduces the overall number of micro-operations required to
generate higher performance at lower power.
The processor is manufactured using Intel’s industry-leading
0.13-micron process technology and consists of 77 million transistors.
It also includes a 400 MHz power optimised system bus, a 1 MB low-power
L2 cache (which turns off parts of the high-speed memory when it’s
not needed), and technology to reduce overall platform power consumption.
It also provides support for Enhanced Intel® SpeedStep®
technology with multiple voltage and frequency operating points,
and Streaming SIMD Extensions II.
The Intel 855 chipset family includes two new chipsets developed
exclusively for the mobile market segment, the 855PM supporting
discrete graphics and 855GM with integrated Intel® Extreme Graphics
2 technology. The new chipsets also support Enhanced Intel SpeedStep
technology, Deeper Sleep Alert State and an internal timer that
automatically turns off the chipset clock when the chipset is inactive.
The 855GM chipset also includes a low-power graphics power management
mode. Both chipsets include a 400MHz processor system bus and support
for up to 2GB of DDR 266 memory, along with support for USB 2.0
and Intel’s I/O Hub Architecture.
The Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection has been designed
and validated to connect easily to 802.11b WiFi certified access
points. It also supports advanced wireless LAN security including
802.11x, WEP and VPN technologies, and will be software upgradeable
to support WPA. In addition, through strategic collaboration with
Cisco Systems, Intel Centrino mobile technology will support Cisco
LEAP and will be software upgradeable to Cisco* Compatible Extensions.
The Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 network connection has also been verified
with leading VPN (virtual private network) suppliers. The wireless
card is also available with Intel® PROSet Software, which offers
many ease-of-use and low power features. It also supports an Intel
developed technology that reduces interference with 802.11 signals
and certain Bluetooth™ devices.
Measuring Mobile Performance And Battery Life
As measured by MobileMark™ 2002, the industry’s first
benchmark testing a combination of battery life and performance,
Intel Centrino mobile technology-based systems can deliver up to
five hours of battery life or more,* compared to about four hours
on mobile Intel® Pentium® III processor-M-based system and
about 3 hours on mobile Intel® Pentium® 4 processor-M-based
systems. On the same benchmark, Intel Centrino mobile technology
offers 41 percent faster performance on multitasking office productivity
applications compared to a Mobile Intel Pentium III processor–M
1.2GHz, and a 15 percent improvement compared to the Mobile Intel
Pentium 4 processor-M 2.4GHz system.
In addition, consumers using Intel Centrino mobile technology will
find 59 percent better performance in their Internet experience
as measured by the WebMark* benchmark when compared to the Mobile
Intel® Pentium® III processor–M 1.2GHz and a 13 percent
improvement gain when compared to the Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor-M
2.4GHz.
Product Pricing
Intel Centrino mobile technology pricing includes the Intel 855PM
chipset, Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 network connection, and the Intel
Pentium M Processor at speeds of 1.60, 1.50, 1.40, 1.30 GHz priced
at $720, $506, $377, $292 respectively in 1,000 unit quantities.
Intel Centrino mobile technology also is available in a low voltage
processor at 1.10GHz and an ultra-low-voltage processor at 900MHz
priced at $345, and $324 respectively.
Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, is also a leading
manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products.
Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
Intel, Centrino, Pentium, SpeedStep technology are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in
the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may
be claimed as the property of others.
For more information see www.intel.com/products/centrino/more_info
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