Intel Plans Big Push Into Ultra Mobile Devices With “Menlow”

• Posted: Saturday, January 12, 2008
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• Author: pradhana
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• Filed under: Samsung, WiMax

Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini told International Consumer Electronic Show (CES) attendees that ultra mobile Internet devices will be the "next big thing in computing," and that the company will be making a big push in the mobile space in 2008.

The chip giant plans to ship its first low-power processor and chipset platform made for mobile Internet devices during the first half of this year. The single chip processor design, codenamed "Menlow," promises to be five times smaller while consuming 10 times less power than ultra low voltage mobile processors brought to market in 2006.

Of course, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is at the top of the list when it comes to the optional standardized capabilities that Intel will feature in the Menlow. Other capabilities will include WiFi and 3G.

"Ultra mobility is the ability to access all of your information, get in touch with anyone you want to, collaborate with anyone, and run any application you want from anywhere on the planet," said Dennis Moore, chief executive of OQO, which builds UMPCs.

He added: "It's about getting the same kind of connectivity and performance as sitting at your desktop PC." Companies such as Samsung, iRiver, Lenovo, LG and Toshiba have committed to building these mobile devices.

Companies such as Qualcomm are also building processors to drive a new generation of lightweight computers. It unveiled two designs, called Anchorage and Fairbanks, at CES.

Other firms committed to a new generation of mobile computers include Taiwanese firm Asus, which has enjoyed success with its Eee PC - a lightweight machine, which can run Windows XP, and uses solid state drives instead of hard drives to keep the weight down and improve reliability.

During his presentation on Monday, Otellini touted the advantages of WiMAX compared to other wireless broadband technologies in delivering a global internet network. "While other wireless technologies are still in development, WiMAX is ready to be deployed today," he said.

Otellini predicts that nearly 150 million people will be connected via WiMAX by the end of this year. [FierceBroadbandWireless]

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