Intel rolls out Santa Rosa, new mobile chips

As expected, Intel on Wednesday rolled out faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors, better power management for longer battery life, faster boot times, and new computing chipsets as part of the introduction of its Santa Rosa mobile platform. The Santa Clara-based company said that more than 230 Intel Centrino Duo and Intel Centrino Pro processor technology-based designs from PC manufacturers, resellers and integrators are expected to take advantage of these and other features this year. The new San Rosa-based platform, officially dubbed Centrino Duo and Centrino Pro, will come in a plethora of shapes and sizes, with designs ranging from fully loaded 17-inch wide-screen models ideal for entertainment to ultramobile energy-saving notebook PCs that weigh less than three pounds, Intel said. The company's much anticipated mobile platform update comes ahead of the launch of its next-generation Penryn architecture and 45-nm dual, quad-core versions of its Core 2 Duo mobile chips -- which run faster and cooler.

"When we introduced Intel Centrino four years ago, Intel changed the computing landscape with our mobile innovations," said Mooly Eden, Intel vice president and general manager, Mobile Products Group. "Now, simply said, we have improved virtually all aspects of Intel-based notebooks, the most popular and fastest growing computing market segment in the world."

Core 2 Duo chips offer faster 800MHz bus

At the heart of the new Intel Centrino Duo and Intel Centrino Pro processor technology-based notebooks is the next-generation of Intel's highly acclaimed Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which delivers improved mobile performance and responsiveness. According to the company, users will experience improved performance when running multiple applications simultaneously such as downloading a video clip while doing a virus scan, while additional power management features will offer users greater battery life.

The company debuted slighter faster 2.4GHz chips with a speedier 800MHz bus, which is expected to be used in forthcoming versions of Apple's MacBook Pro.The new chips are priced about 17 percent less than the currently shipping 2.33GHz chips with 667MHz bus ($637). The chip-maker also rolled out 2.2GHz ($316), 2.0GHz ($241), and 1.8GHz ($209) versions of the new faster-bus chips. Intel, however, did not lower the price of older its older chips.

New Intel chipset supports TVs, 802.11n

Intel's new Mobile Intel 965 Express chipset family features Intel Clear Video Technology, which 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 networking for up to five times the performance for such tasks as downloads and twice the wireless access range.

Intel's new Turbo Memory is an optional, exclusive feature that can access frequently used software applications twice as fast and reduce the amount of time it takes to turn on/startup a laptop by as much as 20 percent. In turn, these faster speeds save on power consumption and increase battery life.

The company also debuted a new brand specifically for business users: Intel Centrino Pro processor technology will adopt the features found in desktop business PCs today with Intel vPro processor technology.

Mobile technology for desktops

Intel said will also use this new mobile technology foundation for a variety of smaller, quieter and high-performing consumer desktop PC designs. Apple already uses Intel's mobile platform in its slim desktop iMac and its extremely compact Mac mini. The updated mobile platform will bring crystal clear audio, better graphics and sharper video playback and optionally include integrated 802.11n wireless support and Intel Turbo Memory for faster startup and application response.

Intel said expects hundreds of notebook models in a range of prices to be widely available with a few weeks.