The Centrino Mobile Technology Launch Event
Intel Takes Mobile Computing to the Next Level

By - Jeff Bouton
March 12, 2003


Today Intel launched its latest and most ambitious mobile computing technology dubbed "Centrino".  To commemorate the release of this new technology, Intel invited press and the like to a launch event at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.  So I decided to take a ride down to the festivities to see what all the excitement was about.  What I found was quite a celebration, thrown in typical Intel fashion.

The day started off with an opening speech by Malcom Gladwell, author of the book "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference".  His discussion focused on how certain changes occurred in history, which created a "turning point" in the way we lived our lives.  Some examples he cited was the "transistor radio" the "microwave" and the fall of the Berlin wall.  Some could argue that the "automobile" and the "Internet" could also be added to the list, as well as a few other significant events.  As he continued, he spoke on how he felt that we were approaching another turning point in history with Intel's latest innovation.  In fact, he was quite enthusiastic that a revolutionary new product was upon us, one that that would affect each of our lives.  Naturally, Intel wouldn't have someone speak that wasn't enthusiastic about their product, but after seeing today's Centrino Launch Presentation, I believe it was sincere.

Once Mr. Gladwell finished his opening presentation, Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel, took center stage and began painting a picture of what Intel had in store for us.  He spoke not only of improving mobile computing from a performance and form factor standpoint, but also from a wireless perspective as well.  He maintained a position that improvements in the mobile market are severely restricted, if users can't access and utilize the technology to its fullest potential.  He spoke of Intel's vision to not only improve the computing experience, but to improve wireless technology so that it was widely available and easy to implement from the end-users perspective.  To achieve this vision, Intel has not only brought forth new innovation for mobile computing on the hardware level, they've launched a wireless initiative aiming to make wireless networking simple and accessible where ever you are.  Intel knew that with an endeavor this bold, they couldn't go it alone.  So, from the day this vision began to take shape, Intel teamed up with dozens of major corporations willing to share the commitment to move wireless networking to the next level.  For example, T-mobile has already implemented hundred of access points in a number of major metropolitan areas, creating "Hot Spots" where users can log on where ever they may be.  Even now, if you bring your laptop into a Borders Bookstore or Starbucks Coffee House, logging on to the internet is readily available with a WiFi capable laptop.  Boeing is another corporation working to integrate wireless technology into their aircraft, so users can log on at 50,000 feet.  MacDonald's, Marriot, Toshiba, IBM and Cisco, are just a few of the many other business partners who have signed on to make the push from wired to wireless. 

Next, Craig Barrett handed the reigns over to his Vice President and General Manager of the Mobile Platforms Group, Anand Chandrasekhar.  Flanked by a dozen or so mobile computers equipped with the new Centrino technology, Anand began painting his picture from a functionality standpoint.  First he lined up 3 of laptops, one based on a Pentium III 1.2GHz processor, another was a Pentium IV model which I believe ran at 2.0GHz. and the third equipped with the Centrino technology running a Mobile Pentium IV-M processor at 1.6GHz.  He initiated a script that cause each machine to execute a series of applications that took 20-30 seconds to complete.  In the end, the Cetrino based system was the first to complete the process.  What was even more impressive was during the entire process they had a real-time graph displaying the CPU load of each processor.  The Centrino machine barely showed a load, while the Pentium III and IV easily consumed 5 times as much power to get the task done.  It is difficult to impress up on you in mere words, but trust me, the performance difference was astounding.  Let's not lose sight of the fact that if the CPU consumes that much less power to complete a task, battery life is going to be extended as well.  In fact, Anand claimed that users will see an increase in battery life of 80% over the Pentium IV and a performance gain averaging 15%.

With the wireless initiative, Intel wanted to make wireless so seamless that a user could unplug from a wired network and still remain connected without skipping a beat.  They demonstrated this in rather dramatic fashion when Anand launched streaming video from a remote network location while the laptop was connect via standard Ethernet cabling.  After a moment, he pulled out a meat cleaver and proceeded to chop at the cable while the video was playing.  After several attempts, he severed that cabling and the video didn't drop a single frame.  What was equally impressive was the video was smooth and crisp over a standard 802.11b wireless connection.  Those of you who are familiar with current wireless technology know that streaming video is not traditionally its strong point.

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