Intel set to launch Centrino 2 next week

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Intel on Monday is expected to launch its latest mobile platform, Centrino 2 , which will deliver speedier performance and faster wireless connectivity to laptops.

After multiple refreshes, the new platform is Intel's first major Centrino upgrade after its predecessor was launched in 2003. The new platform will deliver better performance on laptops with faster, more power-efficientCore 2 Duo chips running between 2.26GHz and 3.06GHz. It will also include support for 802.11n wireless networking and WiMax wireless broadband, which will allow laptop users to connect wirelessly with record speed and range, said Elvin Ong, an Intel spokesman, in a blog entry.                  

The platform will include Penryn chips manufactured using the 45-nanometer process, with three of the new processors running at 25 watts for better power-efficiency compared to 35 watts in earlier Centrino notebook processors, Ong wrote.                  
                  
A big Centrino 2 advantage is improved graphics, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64. The new GM45 integrated graphics cardsupports DirectX 10 to handle 3D graphics and high-definition content.It also is capable of off-loading the processor by taking on heaviergraphics loads.

"You have enough power ... to watch a Blu-ray movie before the battery dies. If you had Blu-ray in previous notebooks, the battery would give out before the movie got interesting," Brookwood said.

The improved graphics chipset also is more competitive with that fromAdvanced Micro Devices, whose integrated graphics technology in the Puma notebook platform raised the bar in handling high-definitioncontent. "Integrated graphics has never been Intel's strong point inthe notebook. They are committed to eliminating graphics as asource of competitive weakness," Brookwood said.
                  
Multiple vendors are expected to announce Centrino 2 laptops next week. However many are already in the wild, with European vendor Santech offering the X46 laptop, with Core 2 Duo chips, 4GB of RAM, a 15.4-inchdisplay, WiMax capabilities, and wireless A/G/N networking, pricedstarting at

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