TORONTO (djc) – According to Intel, in a perfect wireless world we would access email in cafes, write reports in airport lounges and order beer at hockey arenas from our notebook PCs.
The recently-announced Centrino mobile technology is riding on the wave of Wi-Fi computing that liberates laptops from winding wires and cables. Centrino is based around the Pentium M processor bundled with a chipset and the Intel Pro Wireless network connection via a mini PCI 802.11b radio module. The main advantages of the Pentium M, according to Intel, are longer battery life and greater performance. The world’s largest chipmaker is not treading softly with the new technology — it earmarked $300 million to market Centrino.
“This is a tipping point,” says Doug Cooper, Intel’s country manager, referring to a trend-setting benchmark. “Business workers want to be untethered, and we’re at the forefront of providing that freedom.”
Essentially, Intel’s Centrino is the slacker of all chips: it dedicates the least amount of effort necessary and sleeps on the job as often as possible. It conserves power by slowing or shutting off subsystems as they go out of use, dipping into low-power mode between rendering each frame of a DVD movie, for example. Key features in the processor include Micro-Ops Fusion, which combines two operations into one, enabling it to execute faster and at a lower power; also, Deep Sleep (or Deeper Sleep) Alert States enter during periods of inactivity, while still maintaining its context, and further increases battery life for notebook users.
Cooper says Centrino increases battery life to five hours, doubling its predecessor’s standard.
Prices for the super-charged Centrino notebooks range from Dell’s D600 at $2,299 to Acer’s 803L at $4,259.
 |
The new Centrino mobile technology brand name will be represented by a new logo carrying the famous Intel Inside mark. |
The hype surrounding the new chipset family has attracted valuable partnerships, notably PC makers such as Microsoft, Dell and IBM. More importantly for end users wondering where to visit Wi-Fi access locations, these “hotspots,” are springing up in restaurants, hotels, airport lounges and coffee chains. Intel expects to install more than 10,000 hotspots in North America by the end of the year.
Key alliances have been confirmed in the retail and hotelier industry, including McDonald’s and Fairmont Hotels. In the U.S. (so far), McDonald’s customers can chow down on an extra value meal and receive a free hour of high-speed wireless Internet access through 300 hotspots in the fast-food restaurants. The deal is being offered on a BYOL basis — bring your own laptop.
Fairmont Hotels announced it will incorporate wireless connectivity in all its resorts worldwide, expecting high-profit returns. Fairmont’s Tim Aubrey says hotel guests can access free broadband at a minimum of 5.6 megabits per second while inquisitive individuals can purchase 24-hour access for $10.
In the sports world, Toronto’s Air Canada Centre is taking centre court by installing 90 Wi-Fi hotspots by 2004. Seat-holders would be able to customize food and drink orders, and receive sports updates on their laptops from anywhere in the arena. The ACC is reportedly the only sporting arena to offer such access.
“Intel’s focus is on communication and convergence,” says Cooper, indicating how case studies point to successes that should nudge PC users closer to Wi-Fi technology.
But wireless wanderlust is still in its infancy. “[Wi-Fi] is still very nascent and every industry player has a long way to go,” says Warren Chaisatien, senior telecommunications analyst with IDC Canada. He notes that not only are U.S. hotspots failing to rake in big bucks, but obstacles such as establishing a unified price map confuses customers. “Various places charge different prices, some based on per hour, some not. It’s not structured,” says Chaisatien.
 |
The Centrino mobile technology includes a newly designed microprocessor, integrated wireless capability (Wi-Fi 802.11) as well as related chipsets and software. |
To further muddy the waters, security concerns drive PC users away from wireless modules. IDC views security as a significant factor in Wi-Fi choice, for two reasons: the public is inefficiently educated and unnecessarily afraid.
Chaisatien believes a “fear factor” envelopes consumers when they hear of hackers breaking into wireless networks. “That fear is imbedded in their psyche,” he says.
For all the advantages Centrino holds, technical specifics may also frighten away possible customers. The Pentium M, clocking speed up to 1.5GHz, runs slower than the Pentium 4-M mobile processor, at 2.2GHz. The chipmaker contends that Centrino outperforms older (but faster) models by extending battery life and narrowing the performance gap. Clock speeds may fade away from industry vocabulary, as Intel suggests by hinting that a 1.6GHz Pentium M beats a 2.4GHz Pentium 4-M to the finish line in performance tests. Such a development would shake the base of computing marketing.
A venture as “revolutionary as Centrino” (Cooper’s self-congratulation) is a bold statement that will undoubtedly yield impressive results in a developing wireless market. If Intel and its competitors play the high-stakes game with the right hands, expect the ante to be raised considerably.
