By Philip Wong, CNET Asia
22/10/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/notebooks/0,39050495,62047491,00.htm

TAIPEI, Taiwan--After two days of back-to-back activities and adrenaline rush, the Intel Developer Forum Taipei 2008 has finally come to a close. Here are some of the highlights in our second installment, as well as more mouth-watering gadgets on display. Some of them may well be coming off production lines to your homes in the months to come.

The strong mobility theme continues with even more trendspotting by Mooly Eden, corporate vice president and general manager of the Mobile Platform Group. Citing an IDC report, he reiterated a strong worldwide laptop growth and an estimated 63 percent market share over desktop computers by 2012. To meet this demand and the emerging mobile Internet market, Intel is offering a full range of computing platforms tailored for notebooks, Netbooks and mobile Internet devices (MID).

Notebooks

At the top of the performance scale is Intel's Core 2 Extreme mobile quad-core processor with clock speeds of up to 2.53GHz, 1,066MHz front side bus and a whopping 12MB level-two cache. Based on the existing 45nm Penryn architecture, the QX9300 is designed to deliver a desktop-class HD multimedia and gaming experience. For enthusiasts, Intel has programmed a Windows-based Extreme Tuning Utility for hassle-free processor "overclocking" with a Cool-IT dock to enhance laptop cooling under extreme speed.

On the horizon, however, are the six-generation Intel Centrino platform codenamed Calpella and the UrbanMax concept form factor. Slated for 2009, Calpella will feature Intel's latest Nehalem-based processor and a single-chip chipset instead of the traditional north- and southbridge combos. This new highly integrated design is supposed to yield better performance and longer battery life. Furthermore, Calpella will have native DDR3 memory compatibility and extended power-saving capability unlike its predecessor.

Centered round the small-form-factor Centrino 2 processors, Intel solid-state drive and an 11.1-inch touchscreen is the conceptual UrbanMax mobile device. This can be morphed from a tablet to a slider and traditional notebook in the "On the go", "On the go keypad" and "Laptop" modes, respectively. The prototypes on display also come with HDMI output and the usual mix of USB and audio ports.

Netbooks and MIDs

Next in its ecosystem are the Pineview and Moorestown flavors of the 2009 Atom processors for Netbooks and mobile Internet devices (MID), respectively. These are positioned to complement laptops, though the company's executives have also conceded that slight cannibalization may occur between the segments. To differentiate their respective markets, Intel has singled out the following major attributes.

The key differentiators between a simple, affordable Netbook and a notebook are primarily their applications and form factor. The former has been introduced for Internet, emailing, Web chat and simple programs, while the latter is a multipurpose computer for entertainment, productivity, content creation, etc. Another distinction is their bulk, with Netbooks limited to 7-10.2-inch screen sizes and larger 10-inch and above panels for notebooks.

Going one step further in mobility are the MIDs, the newest kids on the block. This category is conceived to deliver a full and fast Internet experience which is lacking in current mobile and smart phones. According to Intel, these are addressed by the Atom's processing power which can be used for 1080p video playback and gaming, plus extensive software compatibility including Real, Skype and the latest Adobe Flash Player 10.

The first-generation MIDs will encompass both the productivity and consumer range using the current Atom (Menlow) platform. Among the first to market was the BenQ S6 recently launched in Italy. More will follow soon at an estimated price ranging from US$500 to US$600. The second-gen lineup will extend to include communication MIDs with Moorestown availability. At the moment, there're eight vendors ranging from HTC to Asus committed to this upcoming platform.