Intel has begun shipping its Centrino 2 microprocessors and chipsets for laptops. Formerly code-named Montevina, the next-generation platform gives notebook designers five Core 2 Duo processors to choose from, including a new Extreme chip capable of running at 3.06 GHz. Nearly 250 new consumer and business notebook PCs are slated to adopt Intel’s latest processors and chipsets, the company said.
Featuring the latest enterprise-class manageability capabilities and power-saving performance enhancements, Centrino 2 also integrates the latest chipsets for delivering super-fast wireless access, noted Mooly Eden, general manager of Intel’s Mobile Platforms Group.
“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’ referred to personal weight goals; and desktop PCs outsold notebooks by a very wide margin,” Eden said. “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.”
Remote Management
Centrino 2 integrates Intel’s vPro technology, which offers several enhanced options of interest to IT enterprise managers, including the ability to remotely manage all the PCs in an enterprise space, regardless of location or activity status. Having the ability to wake up systems remotely, even those on a wireless network, is going to be especially important for IT managers going forward, said Camille Morhardt, a marketing manager at Intel’s Mobile Platforms Group.
“IT can wake them up in the middle of the night, do whatever critical maintenance or security updates are necessary, and then power them back down again,” Morhardt said. “We are also seeing a big trend for small businesses to hire managed-service providers to proactively manage their IT environments. Managed-service providers can…