Vendors push Intel's Centrino

Intel last week announced  its Centrino mobile technology, which combines a new mobile processor, chipset and integrated wireless LAN connectivity. The Centrino technology also aims to extend battery life and improve performance for notebooks, the company says. The technology includes the Pentium M processor (at speeds of 1.3 GHz through 1.6 GHz), the Intel 855 chipset family (supporting discrete graphics or integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 technology), and the Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection for 802.11b wireless LAN connectivity. The technology also is available in a low-voltage processor at 1.1 GHz and ultralow-voltage processor at 900 MHz.

In addition to the new technology, Intel said it will work with public hot spot  vendors to promote wireless computing and introduced the Centrino brand logo to let users know that a wireless hot spot was available. If this logo program is anything like the Intel Inside campaign, expect to see lots of logos around airports, coffee shops and hotels.

Several notebook manufacturers announced new models that include the Centrino technology:

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Intel last week announced  its Centrino mobile technology, which combines a new mobile processor, chipset and integrated wireless LAN connectivity. The Centrino technology also aims to extend battery life and improve performance for notebooks, the company says. The technology includes the Pentium M processor (at speeds of 1.3 GHz through 1.6 GHz), the Intel 855 chipset family (supporting discrete graphics or integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 technology), and the Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection for 802.11b wireless LAN connectivity. The technology also is available in a low-voltage processor at 1.1 GHz and ultralow-voltage processor at 900 MHz.

In addition to the new technology, Intel said it will work with public hot spot  vendors to promote wireless computing and introduced the Centrino brand logo to let users know that a wireless hot spot was available. If this logo program is anything like the Intel Inside campaign, expect to see lots of logos around airports, coffee shops and hotels.

Several notebook manufacturers announced new models that include the Centrino technology:

Chem USA announced three notebooks - the ChemBook 2300 series, the 2050 Series and 2202 series of notebooks. The 2300 series is a two-spindle design notebook with 14-inch XGA/SXGA+ display and starts at $1,500. It includes the Pentium M processor with speeds between 1.3 GHz and 1.6 GHz. The device measures 8.2 by 10 by 1.2 inches and weighs about 5 pounds, Chem USA says.

The 2050 series includes the 855GM chipset, and has a 14.1-inch LCD, Chem USA says. It measures 12.99 by 10.74 by 1.17 inches and weighs about 5.9 pounds. The notebook is priced starting at $1,560. The 2202 series starts at $1,600 and includes the Pentium M processor, optional Bluetooth and 802.11b, and two SDRAM memory slots expandable to 2G bytes. The notebook includes a 14.1-inch TFT LCD screen, measures 12.4 by 10.8 by 1.1 inches and weighs about 5 pounds.

FujitsuPC's LifeBook S6000 notebook includes a Pentium M processor with speeds of 1.4 GHz, a 13.3-inch TFT display, up to 1G byte of RAM and 60G bytes of hard-drive space. The system measures 11.5 by 9.3 by 1.36 inches and weighs about 4.5 pounds with an optical drive. The notebook starts at $1,500 and will be available in April, FujitsuPC says.

Gateway's Gateway 450 series of notebooks include Pentium M processors with speeds of 1.3 to 1.6GHz, 14.1- or 15-inch TFT displays, up to 1G byte of RAM, and hard drives space of up to 60G bytes. The models also offer up to eight hours of battery life with a built-in six-cell battery or more than five hours of life with an eight-cell battery, Gateway says. The 450 series includes two models - the 450X (priced starting at $1,600) and the 450XL (starting at $2,000).

Sony's new VAIO PCG-Z1A notebook comes with a 14.1-inch SXGA+ display, an integrated CD-RW/DVD combination drive and connectivity ports (including USB 2.0, i.LINK [IEEE 1394] and Memory Stick). Instead of the traditional purple, the new VAIO comes in silver matte, Sony says. It will be available by the end of this month for about $2,400, Sony says.

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.