Intel officially released their new Centrino 2 product line on July 14. More than just a new family of central processing units for computers, the Centrino 2 is a complete platform designed to maximize computing power on mobile devices - especially laptops - while also conserving power, and thus greatly extend battery life. The Centrino 2 platform includes a number of new features, all designed to optimize mobile computing, including:

• Faster and more efficient memory and disk storage – Centrino 2 supports dual channel DDR3, which is tech-speak for much faster internal memory that runs at lower voltages for better performance and battery conservation. It also includes improvements for more efficient use of disk drives, also increasing speed and reducing power consumption.

• Higher clock speed – Centrino 2’s internal computer bus, which ties all components together, operates at a high speed (1066MHz), greatly reducing data flow bottlenecks. In other words, your system runs faster - ’nuff said.  On some older computers, even if you had a super-powerful processor, the system would still get bogged down by relatively slow clock speeds. That’s no longer a problem with Centrino 2 based systems.

• Improved graphics - Centrino 2 includes integrated graphics with more than double the 3D performance of prior systems, and hardware acceleration for high definition video.  Centrino 2 also has the ability to alternate between integrated and dedicated graphic processors, depending on whether the unit is operating on battery or external power, or at the command of the user – this enables users to optimize battery life, by adjusting to the graphics requirements of their applications.

• Faster wireless networking - Centrino 2 includes support for 802.11a, b, g, and draft-n wireless Wi-Fi connectivity.

• Good processing power – Although not as fast as Intel’s higher-end processors, Centrino 2 does provide strong processing power, running at 2.26GHz to 3.06GHz, which is significantly faster than previous laptop-oriented chips.

What does this mean for salespeople?

Laptop computers have always been less powerful than their desktop-bound cousins, but Centrino 2 represents a very nice compromise between mobility and power. This means that salespeople can expect thinner and lighter laptops with long battery operating times. In fact, after Intel’s release of Centrino 2, systems based on the new platform were immediately announced by Lenovo, Toshiba, Fujitsu and Sony, and many more are expected very soon. Salespeople looking for fast, reliable laptops with long battery life should definitely consider Centrino 2 based systems.

Additional resources about Intel’s Centrino 2 platform

• Intel’s web page about the Centrino 2 line
• Gizmodo on Centrino 2
• Crave on Centrino 2
• Extreme Tech on Centrino 2
• Centrino 2 explained
• New laptops use Centrino 2 platform
• Fujitsu introduces new Centrino 2 laptop
• Lenovo’s ThinkPad X200 - Centrino 2 laptop
• Dell Latitude E with Centrino 2 to be released in August

UPDATE: Centrino 2 buyers to get free personal area network upgrade in 2009

Tags: Centrino 2, Dell Latitude E, Fujitsu, Intel, laptops, Lenovo, mobile computing, sales professional, Sony, ThinkPad X200, Toshiba

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