Promising computing power that would usher in a new era of smaller and faster laptops and mobile computing devices, Intel has made a commitment to developing its Centrino Duo processor technology to take advantage of emerging WiMAX (wireless broadband).
The new processor, codenamed Menlow, should be available in the first half of 2008 and is designed specifically for MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices) and UMPCs (Ultra Mobile PCs).
The company is currently working with other industry leaders to develop these new mobile computing categories that harness WiMAX as a complete wireless substitute for broadband access with a full mobile internet experience, as well as operating on a power efficient basis.
Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group said: “Mobile users are demanding to take the full internet experience anytime, anywhere — in essence these users want the full internet to be delivered to them wirelessly and in their pocket.”
These new technologies will “break the affordability barrier” claims David Perlmutter, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the Mobility Group, by virtue of being developed for low power.
To show how technology for MIDs was advancing, Chandrasekher brought Mark Shuttleworth, sponsor of Linux operating system (OS) Ubuntu, on stage to show how the Menlow processor was working on a mobile device with the new pre-release Ubuntu Mobile OS.
This new direction for Intel is pointing towards a trend in the ultramobile computing device which may overshadow the currently popular smart phone.
By Marie Boran
