Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Wednesday, 16 July 2008 11:18
Opinion and Analysis
Page 3 of 4
The Centrino 2 platform also includes either the “Intel WiFi Link 5000 Series” Wi-Fi chipset, providing up to 450 Mbps of network bandwidth on an 802.11 draft-N network, or the the WiFi Link 5100 chipset, providing up to 300 Mbps of receive network bandwidth, representing bandwidth increases of “up to” 8x and 5x respectively compared to 802.11a/g throughput.
There’s also Intel’s “82567 Gigabit Network Connection” that can idle down to slower speeds and greater power savings when needed. There’s also the option of a 2GB Turbo Memory module for greater in-system caching resulting in faster speeds, representing an increase over the previous 1GB Turbo Memory option of the Santa Rosa platform.
That said, if you want this speed-up technology, you’ll need to ensure that the notebook you’re buying has it available built-in or as an option you select when buying.
For business users, Intel also offers its Centrino 2 with vPro technology. This gives system administrators and businesses “enhanced manageability and security options”, an important trend as “companies replace desktops with notebooks and need to remotely diagnose, update and repair systems over a wireless network”.
Also featured as part of the vPro version of Centrino 2 notebooks is “improved manageability with AMT 4.0 has also been added that provides wireless manageability during system sleep states, ongoing remote configuration capabilities, support for next-generation management standards (WS-MAN and DASH 1.0) and the ability for an employee to initiate communications to IT from outside a company’s firewall.”
“When we first introduced Intel Centrino back in 2003, there were very few Wi-Fi hotspots, YouTube videos and social media didn’t really exist, ‘thin and light’ only referred to weight goals and desktop PCs outsold notebooks by a very wide margin,” said Mooly Eden, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the company’s Mobile Platforms Group.
“Today, notebooks outsell desktops in the U.S, and we’re paving the way to HD entertainment, rich online gaming, faster broadband wireless speeds and an easier and more secure way for businesses to manage, update and repair their notebook fleets.”
Philip Cronin, General Manager for Intel Australia and New Zealand, said, “The local market is demanding a better mobile computing experience and Intel Centrino 2 processor technology delivers this in spades. Whether it’s displaying HD multimedia more vividly, connecting via wireless faster or strengthening battery performance, with Intel Centrino 2 processor technology our OEM, reseller and retail partners are ready to help their customers realise this higher quality experience.”
So, what about WiMAX? We were meant to get it by now, with WiMAX becoming Wi-Fi on steroids that would be offered by telcos and ISPs much like 3.5G wireless broadband is today, with the WiMAX chipset to be built into notebook computers as standard.
Please read on to page 4.
