Posted on Tuesday, April 17 2007 @ 14:03 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Somewhere in 2008 the chip giant will start integrating the HomePlug AV 200Mbps powerline standard into its desktop designs.
The feature will be optional, but clearly offered as part of the bundle of processor, chipset and connectivity Intel packages up for computer manufacturers, in particular its Viiv platform. In any case, Viiv's due for a near-term update - codenamed 'Salt Creek' - as Intel rolls out its 'Bearlake' chipset family this quarter.
Intel also advocated building wireless links to peripherals on top of ultrawideband (UWB) technology, a move the minds behind both Bluetooth and Wireless USB are already engaged upon. But Intel wants other such protocols to do so too, and to clearly separate the protocol from underlying radio to allow them to leverage future wireless developments.
One such: a shift to the unlicensed 60GHz band, expected to take place in the 2011 timeframe, a timeframe in which we're likely to see machines equipped with multiple antennae and sophisticated circuitry to timeslice the various radios - WiMAX, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth etc - they're all connected to.
