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Centrino mobile technology launched
INTEL officially launched Centrino, a group of chips designed specifically for wireless computing , which the company is betting will be a shot in the arm for the computing and communications industries. The chips were created to foster a new generation of portable PCs that run longer on battery power and connect more easily to wireless networks.
Best suited to mobile PCs, Intel’s this technology includes a new mobile processor, related chipsets and 802.11 wireless network functions that have been optimized, tested and validated to work together.
In addition to wireless communications, Intel Centrino mobile technology includes features designed to enable extended battery life, thinner and lighter notebook designs, and outstanding mobile performance.
Intel Centrino mobile technology-based notebook PCs are available immediately from leading computer makers worldwide. System pricing will start as low as US$1,399, comparable to today’s mainstream.
Enter autonomic computing
Microsoft has announced that it will launch a new initiative to develop business software that automatically adapts to workloads and configures itself, as companies seek to reduce the cost of managing their computer systems.
The new plan, which Microsoft has dubbed its “Dynamic Systems Initiative,” will be unveiled at a Las Vegas development conference next week, said Bob O’Brien, senior product manager at Microsoft.
With autonomic computing, many of the tasks performed by system administrators, such as adjusting computer network loads during high usage, allocating data storage and configuration, can be automated.
“We’re trying to contribute toward building infrastructure that is highly automated and extensible,” said Microsoft’s O’Brien.
With DSI, Microsoft aims to include autonomic computing technology in core software designs, so that other software makers can develop applications, such as database, accounting and manufacturing software, that can manage themselves.
Some tools and components to speed up installations and balance workloads will be included in the latest version of Windows Server, which will launch in late April, said O’Brien.
GeForce FX goes mobile
Graphics chip maker Nvidia Corp. has introduced its GeForce FX Go graphics chip, its new flagship graphics processor for laptop computers.
Nvidia’s new mobile offerings include the GeForce FX Go5600 and Go5200 models. Like the GeForce FX desktop chips, the GeForce FX Go chips sport the CineFX engine, Nvidia’s advanced pixel and vertex shading technology. They also feature Nvidia’s Video Processing Engine, which provides high-quality DVD and video output; PowerMizer power management technology; and support for AGP 8x, expected to be adopted in laptop motherboard designs in the future. Like ATI, much of Nvidia Corp.’s focus on the performance and features of the new mobile graphics technology is on its support and optimization for Microsoft’s DirectX 9 API, but Nvidia also noted that both chips feature optimization and support for OpenGL 1.4.
Nvidia said the new GeForce FX Go chips will be available in April.
ATI introduces M-Radeon
Graphics chip and card maker ATI Technologies Inc. has unveiled the Mobility Radeon 9600 graphics chip, its latest generation of mobile graphics technology. The new 8x AGP graphics technology promises considerably better performance than ATI’s already substantial offerings.
The Mobility Radeon 9600 supports ATI’s Smartshader 2.0 technology, which provides advanced pixel and vertex shading capabilities to produce “cinematic quality” 3D effects. It’s also the first to use “Overdrive,” a new overclocking technology which enables the chip itself to modulate and scale its speed depending on the thermal readings inside the notebook. The 9600 also adds HyperM, ATI’s memory bandwidth optimization technology, and Smoothvision 2.1, the latest iteration of ATI’s full-scene anti-aliasing technology.
The Mobility Radeon 9600 is also the first to feature HDTV encoding support, which means that future laptops with this chip inside can deliver component output to wide-screen HDTVs. — Dawn ScienceDotcom report
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