CENTRINO: The New Mobile Standard

March 2003 saw the launch of Centrino Intel’s new brand name for
next-generation mobile processor technology. Centrino is supposed to be the
company’s biggest product introduction since the Pentium processor 10 years
ago.

The name Centrino has been coined using the terms ‘center’ and ‘neutrino’.
The dictionary meaning of ‘neutrino’ means an elementary particle with zero
charge and zero mass. Well, this does not decipher into what Intel intends to do
with the ‘new mobile technology’ but the Centrino logo does try to highlight
this.

WHAT IS CENTRINO?

Centrino is a new chip family that includes the Pentium-M processor
(formerly code named as Banias), the Intel 855 chipset and a radio module
designed to allow new notebooks to use 802.11 wireless networking.

MARKET IMPECT 58 different models based on the Centrino technology available worldwide Intel expects more than 125 designs to be available by end of 2003 Limited Hotspots make Centrino-based notebooks relatively low in demand Intel’s decision to have a design team in Bangalore will focus on developing Centrino

According to Intel, Centrino mobile technology is so far the best technology
offered by the company for mobile PCs and is optimized for notebooks and tablet
PCs.

With Centrino, Intel promises notebook makers, features such as the
integrated wireless LAN capability, breakthrough mobile performance, extended
battery life and thinner and lighter designs.

GROWING ACCEPTANCE

Ever since it was launched, Centrino has seen a tremendous acceptance among
notebook vendors and the same is growing day by day. This is obvious from the
fact that, no soon did Intel launch the Centrino technology, most notebook
makers across the world began announcing Centrino-based versions of their
notebooks.

When this technology was introduced in March there were 34 systems enabled
with it. Today, PC makers worldwide are shipping 58 different models, and Intel
expects more than 125 designs to be available for sale by the end of the year.

Systems range in style from tablet PCs to thin-and-light designs with large
screens to ultra-mobile systems that weigh less than three pounds. In some cases
these mobile systems can achieve more than five hours of battery life on a
single charge.

Importantly, Intel has now verified the compatibility of Intel Centrino
mobile technology with more than 14,000 hotspots worldwide, exceeding its
end-of-year goal of 10,000.

"From PC makers to service providers to airports, hotels and retail
locations, we are seeing strong acceptance for Intel Centrino mobile
technology," says Anand Chandrasekher, VP, Intel Mobile Platforms Group, in
an official statement.

"Consumers and business professionals alike are enjoying the benefits of
being able to unwire and unplug, along with the world-class performance and
unique designs made possible by Intel Centrino mobile technology," he adds.

CONCERN AREA

When Centrino was first launched Pentium-M processor was expected to
initially run at speeds of about 1.4 GHz, considerably slower than the Pentium
4-M mobile processor available then. While the new chip will not match the clock
speed of Pentium 4-M, the chipmaker boasts about a performance increase in other
ways, such as extended battery life.

However, Intel recently enhanced Centrino mobile technology performance by
making available new processor operating at 1.7 GHz, a low-voltage 1.20 GHz
processor and the ultra-low-voltage variant running at 1.0 GHz.

The company also has plans to provide updated networking software that
delivers additional support for security features. The software is designed to
protect information transmitted while connecting to networks using wireless
technology.

WIRELESS INADEQUACY

While Intel promises a revolution in mobile computing through Centrino, it
does face a drawback compared to other vendors offering wireless connectivity on
notebooks. Centrino currently supports only 802.11b, which operates in the 2.4
GHz band and has data transfer rates of 11 Mbps. Many feel that as Intel does
not support 802.11a or the 802.11g standard, both of which support higher speeds
(54 Mbps), it has a disadvantage with respect to competitors who can offer all
the three frequencies.

However, Intel has offered a roadmap for supporting 802.11a and 802.11g in
the near future. The company says it will support dual band, tri-mode with
802.11a/b/g after standard ratification.

PRICING

The latest pricing for Centrino includes the Intel 855 Chipset family, the
Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 network connection and the Intel Pentium M processor –
at speeds of 1.7 GHz, the low voltage at 1.2 GHz and the ultra low at 1.0 GHz.
For 1,000 units, they are priced at $694, $341 and $319 respectively. These
prices represent the cost of the three components (processor, chipset and
wireless capability) that together make up the Centrino mobile technology. Intel
also sells each device separately.

CENTRINO IN INDIA

Intel recently decided to set up a design team in Bangalore that will focus
on work of the company´s Centrino mobile technology. Incidentally, this also
happens to be the first team in Asia to be working on this technology.

In India there are just a hand-full of notebook manufacturers actually
selling Centrino-powered notebooks. These include IBM, Acer, Toshiba and HP.
Wipro is supposed to be the first Indian company to launch Centrino-based
notebooks - the ‘Little Genius C Series’.

The relatively low demand for Centrino-based notebooks in the country can be
attributed to the fact that there are very few hotspots here.

Nine hotels of the Taj Group in Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bangalore have
also become ‘wireless-enabled’. Their guests can surf the Net in the lobby,
restaurants, by the poolside or their rooms. And so can guests in some Oberoi
group hotels as well.

Technology analysts believe that unless the proliferation of hotspots happen,
the growth for Centrino technology in India may not be very exciting. However, a
growing clan of Indian IT players is filling the void with a host of products
and services to kick start the wireless hotspot business. This in turn, should
result in a widespread adoption of the Centrino technology in the not so distant
future.