New Intel chip a real Yonah

Intel has taken the wraps off its latest mobile processor, the Centrino Core Duo.

The new platform includes Intel’s dual-core processor, 945 Express chipset and PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network connection.

With it the vendor now claims performance improvements of around 70 percent and battery longevity of up to 28 percent over previous warhorse, the Pentium M.

According to national marketing manager, Kate Burleigh, the Duo would form the core of Intel’s continued push into the mobility, consumer and business markets.

By year’s end some 70 percent of Intel-based notebooks were expected to be built on the Duo, she said.

For Intel’s Duo guru, Graham Tucker, catering to the growth in running simultaneous applications, or multitasking, was a major driver behind the chip’s launch.

In the consumer space, users would now be able to run processor hungry applications — like DVD encoding and video playback — at the same time without a noticeable dip in performance. The Duo’s extra grunt would also allow notebooks to penetrate deeper into the booming gaming sector.

Cisco general manager of strategy and new business, Kevin Bloch, said businesses could now look to improved application performance while running security or VoIP programs in the background.

OEM partners attending the launch to showcase some of the 260 available Duo-based notebooks were buoyed by the offering but agreed educating partners and the market on the benefits of the technology would be a challenge.

Toshiba information systems product marketing manager, Justin White, said the dual cores would likely cause a refresh amongst Pentium M users.

However, ASI solutions product manager, Craig Quinn, was sceptical. “The dual cores may not cause a refresh but within six months there will be price parity so there will be no reason to buy a Pentium M,” Quinn said. “I think there will be a clear split between Celeron at the value end and dual core for the rest.”

Dell senior products manager APAC personal systems group, Jeff Morris, said the new chips would boost its push into the mobile gaming and entertainment spaces, but the business market would be a tougher sell.

“Corporates just went through Pentium M and now they have to get their heads around this new concept,” he said. “It’s going to take lots of education.”

Agreeing, Optima marketing program manager, Trang Dao, said education and consumer markets would need plenty of explanation on the Duo’s potential.

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