Posted 10/27/08 at 08:14:36 AM by Paul Lilly

No sooner do you fill up your credit card purchasing the latest components, new technology emerges rendering your parts obsolete. Welcome to the world of computers. This fact of computing isn't limited to just the desktop sector, and even though Intel's Centrino 2 platform has just recently manifested in the market place, the company offered onlookers a glimpse of its next generation mobile platform at this year's Intel Developer Forum in Taiwan.

The new platform, currently code-named "Calpella," will include processors based on Intel's upcoming Nehalem architecture, due out in desktop form next month. As with every subsequent generation of notebooks, part of the focus on Calpella will be on preserving battery life and you can expect a number of new features aimed towards this goal. These include power switches capable of shutting down individual processing cores, and independent voltage for memory and I/O.

"It's a very different platform than anything they've done to date," said Nathan Brookwood, an analyst at research firm Insight 64. "When Calpella shows up, everything inside that laptop will be brand new."

No specific release date has yet been set, but rumblings point to sometime in Q3 2009.

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intel, mobile, notebook, laptop, Centrino 2, calpella

Posted 10/16/08 at 06:48:01 PM by Pulkit Chandna

 Dell has infused fresh life into its swanky Studio 15 notebooks. It has begun shipping Studio 15 notebooks with Intel Centrino 2 technology. The Studio 15 notebooks will be slightly more power-efficient with the introduction of the Centrino 2 platform. The basic Studio 15 model features a 2.20 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of DDR2 memory, a 320 GB 5400 RPM HDD, a ATI Mobility Radeon 3450 graphics card, a DVD burner, 802.11a/n, finger print reader and Windows Vista Home Premium. The refreshed Studio 15 range begins at $999, which is reasonable considering the fact it occupies the middle ground between ultra-portables and high-end notebooks.

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Posted 08/06/08 at 10:56:53 AM by Paul Lilly

What weighs 4 pounds and measures 12.1 inches? The answer has nothing to do with John Holmes and everything to do with Hewlett-Packard's upcoming "ultralight" business notebook line to be built around Intel's Centrino 2 platform.

Cost of entry for the HP-Compaq 2230 series will start at $999 and include an Intel Core 2 Duo T5670 (1.80GHz) processor, 3GB of RAM, a 320GB hard disk, 802.11n wireless, a DVD burner, and Intel's GMA 4500MHD graphics. Users looking for a bit more power have the option of moving up to an Intel T9400 (2.53GHz) processor, bringing the starting price up to $1,649. All models will also come equipped with three USB ports, an HDMI port, and a 4-cell lithium-ion battery. 

No release date has been given for the new subnotebook line, but according to Cnet, they should start shipping later this month.

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intel, mobile, notebook, laptop, hp, subnotebook, ultralight, ultraportable, rigs, Centrino 2

Posted 08/04/08 at 12:41:51 PM by Paul Lilly

Laptops built around Intel's Centrino 2 platform are on the verge of marching into the market place en masse, and MSI appears ready to go with a pair of new gaming notebooks. The top-tier motherboard maker has launched the GX620 (15.4" WSXGA+) and GX720 (17" WSXGA+) Centrino 2 notebooks with each one sporting Nvidia's GeForce 9600M GT graphics with 512MB GDDR3. Other features include:

•  Intel PM45 Chipset
• Up to 4GB DDR2
• 2.0M Webcam
• 802.11 b/g/n
• 320GB SATA Hard Drive
• Blu-ray DVD Player
• HDMI port
• Windows Vista Home Premium

Quick launch sensors above the keyboard will give gamers the ability to activate MSI's Turbo Drive Engine Technology, which "overclock the GX620/GX720, increasing the speed of the Intel Core 2 Duo processor by as much as 15 percent." Users can also utilize MSI's ECO Engine and alternate between 5 different operating modes -- Gaming, Movie, Presentation, Office, or Turbo Battery -- to optimize battery life.

No word yet on pricing or availability, but don't be surprised to see more paper Centrino 2 notebook launches in the coming days/weeks.

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intel, mobile, notebook, laptop, portable, msi, Centrino 2, gx620, GX720

Posted 07/16/08 at 03:05:27 PM by Paul Lilly

The floodgates have opened and you can expect to see plenty of manufacturers rolling out new notebooks built around Intel's Centrino 2 platform in the coming weeks. Leading the charge, MSI jumps on board with its GX620, a Centrino-2-based notebook equipped with the company's exclusive Turbo Drive Engine Technology; when in AC mode, pushing the turbo button ramps up the CPU clockspeed.

Further power management duties come courtesy of MSI's new ECO Engine. An ECO quick launch touch sensor gives users the ability to switch between five different modes - Gaming mode, Movie mode, Presentation mode, Office mode, and Turbo Battery mode - with each one automatically adjusting the brightness and distributing power where it's needed most to prolong battery life, the company claims.

Find out what MSI's packing under the hood after the jump.

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Posted 07/16/08 at 11:41:24 AM by Paul Lilly

Flip someone the bird and they'll know just what you're telling them. But wave your hand in front of your monitor all you want, and no matter how many times you've watched Obi-Wan use the Force, you're just not going to manipulate your PC. At least not yet.

Toshiba's Qosmio G55-Q802 looks to the change the way you interact with your PC by reading hand signals. Make a fist and move it around to control the mouse pointer, or flip your thumb up like Fonzie to select an object. Force-push won't work, but raising an open palm will tell the system to stop or resume video playback, giving you hands-free media control.

Built around the Centrino 2 platform, an Intel processor performs most of the tasks on the G55, but to read hand signals the laptop will use a quad-core HD processor powered by the same Cell processor found in Playstation 3 consoles. The Cell also lets the PC scan videos and index every new face it finds.

Between hand gesture controls and gadgets like OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator, will anyone be using a mouse 5 years from now?

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intel, windows, Software, mobile, notebook, laptop, toshiba, hardware, Centrino 2, wave power, g55

Posted 07/15/08 at 12:24:28 PM by Paul Lilly

Intel's long anticipated Centrino 2 platform (previously codenamed Montevina) makes its official debut this week, and a number of top-tier vendors will begin selling configurations to Centrino 2 specifications. Montevina chips are manufactured using high-k metal gate technology on a 45nm die, and Intel promises faster performance, improved mobility features, and support for high-definition graphics on the Centrino 2 platform.

Centrino 2 chips include Intel's second generation Core 2 Duo processors (Penryn) with speeds expected to range from 2.26GHz to 3.06GHz on a 1066MHz frontside bus. Sipping just 29W, the low power draw should result in both a cooler running chip and longer battery life.

The new platform moves away from the GM965 chipset and now uses Intel's Mobile 45 Express chipset. Other goodies include integrated GMA X4500 graphics, Intel's 5000 series wireless chip with support for WiFi and WiMax, flash memory caching (Intel Turbo Memory), and support for DDR3 memory, the first mobile platform ever to do so.

The release of Centrino 2 might also spark tantalizing price cuts as vendors look to clear out old inventory. Know of any good deals? Post them below!

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intel, notebook, laptop, processor, hp, Core 2 Duo, hardware, Centrino 2, build a rig, Fujitsu, platform

Posted 07/09/08 at 09:13:42 AM by Paul Lilly

Intel's upcoming Centrino 2 mobile platform will finally push DDR3 memory into the notebook market, and OCZ already has a pair of kits ready to go. OCZ's DDR3-1066 modules will feature latencies of 8-8-8-27, while its higher frequency DDR3-1333 SO-DIMMs will come timed slightly higher at 9-9-9-24. Both kits sip 1.5V and are backed by OCZ's lifetime warranty. "The Centrino 2 platform is a logical extension of Intel's efforts spearheading DDR3 acceptance in the enthusiast segment in the desktop sector, " commented Dr. Michael Schuette, VP of Technology Development at OCZ.

Memory makers continue to lament weak memory pricing, and while they anticipate strengthening demand in the second half of 2008, vendors are hoping Centrino 2 will kick-start sales for DDR3 modules. DDR3 currently commands a higher markup than DDR2, and while that might be groovy for memory makers, are buyers ready to make the switch?

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intel, notebook, laptop, ocz, Memory, hardware, DDR3, Centrino 2, DRAM, SO-DIMM, build a rig