Intel unveils its next Centrino

Intel took the wraps off its new Centrino processor, and the platform it will power, at the Intel Developers' Forum in San Jose yesterday.

The new processor, codenamed 'Dothan', will be the first Centrino built using 90nm technology and will include more efficient power management. The level two cache will also be expanded to 2MB and speeded up to boost performance.

The new platform, codenamed 'Sonoma', will include an enabling battery life technology chip called Alviso, which will work with Double Data Rate (DDR) 2 memory to further extend working time between recharges.

Support for 802.11a, b and g to allow Wi-Fi roaming, and 802.11i advanced encryption standard encryption will also be included.

In the longer term, Intel has committed to building location awareness into the Centrino platform.

This will allow a computer to receive location information from GPS and other sources to get an accurate fix on the user's position.

Speaking at the event, Anand Chandrasekher, vice president and co-general manager of Intel's mobile platforms group, also detailed how the chip maker had tried to squeeze a working day's battery life out of a laptop with its latest Centrino chipset.

Intel has focused on power management to extend battery life with the new Intel 855GME chipset.

It uses display power-saving technology, which reduces a laptop's backlight while maintaining image quality by adjusting brightness and contrast controls, giving power savings of up to 25 per cent over standard screens.

The graphics system has also been overhauled, with the functions now integrated onto the motherboard. They have been optimised to run with DDR memory, and power consumption has been reduced still further.

"We've helped reduce display power consumption and enable power savings for mobile PCs," said Chandrasekher.

"These efforts demonstrate Intel's comprehensive approach to improving the mobile PC experience."