IDF: Intel's ultra mobility plans

Posted on Thursday, September 20 2007 @ 19:38 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
Here's a look at some of the things Anand Chandrasekher, Intel Senior Vice President and General Manager of the firm's Ultra Mobility Group, announced at the IDF in San Francisco.
  • Intel Menlow Platform Enables Full Internet in Your Pocket in 2008 Chandrasekher discussed the upcoming Intel Menlow platform, scheduled for launch in H08, 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 43mm 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 0x lower power compared to todays 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 0x 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 0x 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, BenQ, Compal, Elektrobit, HTC, Inventec and Quanta. 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 5 industry leaders which have embraced Intels 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, Clarion, Fujitsu, Harman-Becker, Hitachi, Lenovo, LG Electronics, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, and Toshiba, and service providers such as Clearwire, KDDI, Korea Telecom, NTT DoCoMo and Sprint.
  • Shuttleworth Demonstrates Pre-Alpha Release of Ubuntu Mobile on Menlow-based MID Chandrasekher welcomed Mark Shuttleworth, founder and CEO of Canonical, on stage and discussed the companys 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.
  • Worlds First Demonstration of Adobe AIR 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 AIR, 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.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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