Intel is holding its Intel Developer Forum Sept. 18-20 in San Francisco. Below are summaries of each executive’s keynote speech and the major news disclosed during the second day.
David (Dadi) Perlmutter “Breaking the Barriers to Mobility”
Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mobility Group
Describing the latest trends in mobile computing, Dadi Perlmutter highlighted forthcoming Intel platforms for notebooks that builds on the mobility attributes of performance, battery life, form factor and wireless communications, and also how these attributes can be extended to new device types and usage models. He also discussed the future of wireless networking connectivity, including mobile WiMAX.
- Santa Rosa Refresh – In January 2008, Intel will launch “Santa Rosa Refresh,” an update to Intel Centrino processor technology that includes the next generation 45nm high-k mobile processor (codenamed Penryn) and improved graphics capabilities. With the Penryn mobile processor, Santa Rosa Refresh-based notebooks receive enhanced performance and battery life features. Graphics improvement for Santa Rosa Refresh focuses on unlocking advanced graphics technologies for an enhanced visual experience, especially with DirectX 10-based applications. Santa Rosa Refresh notebook PCs also contain the Mobile Intel 965 Express chipset family, Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N network connection, Intel 82566MM and 82566MC Gigabit Network Connection, and optional Intel Turbo memory.
- Future Mobile Roadmap for Notebooks – Perlmutter showed the next generation Montevina processor technology Intel is targeting to deliver in mid-2008. Montevina includes the new 45nm high-k Intel Penryn mobile processor and the next-generation chipset with DDR3 memory support. This will be Intel’s first Centrino processor technology for notebooks to offer the option of integrated Wi-Fi and WiMAX wireless technologies for greater wireless broadband access. It will also feature integrated HD-DVD/Blu-ray support for consumers and next generation data manageability and security features for the enterprise. With approximately 40 percent smaller components, Montevina will be ideal for the wide spectrum of notebook designs from sub to full-sized notebooks.
- Wi-Fi – 802.11n/Cisco – Announced on Sept. 4, Cisco and Intel are working together on interoperability testing of 802.11n draft 2.0, helping to ensure reliable performance and compatibility between Intel Centrino-based notebook PCs and Cisco wireless networks.
- WiMAX for Notebooks in 2008 – Perlmutter highlighted both the quality of the WiMAX network as well as the significant ecosystem working on and supporting this wireless standard, including conformance and interoperability testing. He showed several mobile implementations, all illustrating the benefits of “true mobile connectivity” using Intel’s Echo Peak, the industry’s first integrated Wi-Fi / WiMAX module solution that will be offered as an option for notebooks based on next-generation Centrino processor technology (Montevina) in 2008.
Echo Peak incorporates advanced MIMO antenna technology for increased data throughput rates — improving users’ broadband experiences at home, work and “on the go.” Integrating Wi-Fi and WiMAX into the platform not only frees up valuable laptop real estate for other uses, but also helps yield a highly cost-effective solution, enabling higher device attach rates and better economics.
A number of OEMs, including Acer, Asus, Lenovo, Panasonic and Toshiba have already expressed intent to embed WiMAX into next-generation Centrino processor technology-based notebook PCs in 2008.
- Powerful Entertainment – As seen in Perlmutter’s keynote, Intel Centrino processor technology provides robust and high-definition entertainment. He demonstrated the multimedia capabilities of today’s Centrino-based platforms showing high-definition content streaming wirelessly. He also provided a glimpse of the entertainment power of the upcoming Penryn-based Intel Centrino systems with video rendering and encoding.
Anand Chandrasekher, “Unleashing the Internet Experience”
Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager, Ultra Mobility Group, Intel Corporation
Anand Chandrasekher discussed the growing need of mobile users to communicate, entertain, stay informed and be productive on-the-go. Chandrasekher outlined Intel’s strategy to unleash the full Internet for mobile users by using low power IA platforms, which drastically reduce CPU and chipset power performance. He also demonstrated increasing momentum in the ecosystem with a range of announcements and demonstrations throughout his keynote.
- Intel “Menlow” Platform Enables Full Internet in Your Pocket in 2008 – Chandrasekher discussed the upcoming Intel Menlow platform, scheduled for launch in 1H’08, which is comprised of a ground-up designed processor, codenamed Silverthorne, based on a new 45nm Hi-k low power microarchitecture and a new chipset, codenamed Poulsbo, based on a ground-up single-chip design. He highlighted that a Menlow platform will deliver great performance at low power and could fit in a 74mm x 143mm sized motherboard, thus enabling a full Internet experience while enabling form factors that are small enough to fit in your pocket. Chandrasekher showed how Silverthorne draws 10x lower power compared to today’s lower-power processors (based on pre-silicon estimates). Also, he discussed standardized communications options such as Wi-Fi, 3G and WiMAX for MIDs and UMPCs, thus enabling connected experiences.
- Intel “Moorestown” Platform Headed for 10x Idle Platform Reduction – Chandrasekher provided a sneak peek into the future Intel Moorestown platform which consists of a System on Chip (SOC) and a Communications Hub. The SOC integrates the CPU, graphics, video, and memory controller to a single chip and brings the 45nm process benefits to the complex. The Communications Hub provides I/O capabilities for storage, features, and wireless integration and the architecture allows for ultra low power operation. Chandrasekher announced that the platform idle power for a Moorestown-based MID platform will be 10x lower compared to a Menlow-based platform.
- Mobile Internet Device Innovation Alliance Shows Progress – Intel had announced the formation of the MID Innovation alliance at IDF Beijing in April with industry-leading systems manufacturers Asus(1), BenQ(1), Compal(1), Elektrobit(1), HTC(1), Inventec(1) and Quanta(1). Chandrasekher announced that these companies had made significant progress over the past 6 months on Intel-based Menlow platforms and are on track to bring platforms to the marketplace in the first half of 2008. He showed working prototypes from Asus, BenQ, Compal, Elektrobit, Inventec and Quanta during his speech as evidence of this progress.
- Intel Announces Strategic Collaborators for MID and UMPC Categories – In a sign of growing momentum in the industry, Chandrasekher announced more than 15 industry leaders which have embraced Intel’s “Full Internet in Your Pocket” vision, are investing in the UMPC and MID categories, and are expected to bring products over time. These companies included system manufacturers such as Aigo(1), Clarion(1), Fujitsu(1), Harman-Becker(1), Hitachi(1), Lenovo(1), LG Electronics(1), NEC(1), Panasonic(1), Samsung(1), and Toshiba(1), and service providers such as Clearwire(1), KDDI(1), Korea Telecom(1), NTT DoCoMo(1) and Sprint.
- Shuttleworth Demonstrates Pre-Alpha Release of Ubuntu(1) Mobile on Menlow-based MID – Chandrasekher welcomed Mark Shuttleworth, founder and CEO of Canonical(1), on stage and discussed the company’s entry into the MID segment. Shuttleworth described the flexibility of the Ubuntu OS and the steps Canonical is taking to deliver a reliable, small footprint, and highly responsive operating system for the category. He also discussed how the company is planning to deliver unique user interface, applications, and content to deliver a differentiated experience to its customers and showcased a pre-alpha release of Ubuntu Mobile on an Intel Menlow-based MID platform.
- World’s First Demonstration of Adobe(1) AIR(1) Application on Intel Menlow-based Platform – Chandrasekher welcomed Al Ramadan, senior vice president, Mobile and Device Solutions Business Unit, Adobe, on stage. Ramadan described Adobe(1) AIR(1), a cross-operating system runtime that will extend the reach of rich internet applications, and discussed how the combination of MIDs and Adobe AIR applications will bring compelling new experiences to the user. Ramadan also demonstrated Adobe Media Player (AMP), an Adobe AIR application, and showcased AMP delivering premium content based entertainment to new MID devices. Additionally, Ramadan emphasized that Adobe AIR will support Windows- and Linux-based Menlow platforms in the future.
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