Intel Is Basically Trying to Revive the Netbook

By Jared Newman in Time

The netbook is dead. Or so says nearly every pundit, analyst and research firm that watches the PC market.

But don’t tell that to Intel, whose next-generation processors will power a wave of dirt-cheap Windows laptops later this year.

CNet reports:

“If you look at touch-enabled Intel-based notebooks that are ultrathin using [Bay Trail] processors. Those prices are going to be down to as low as $200,” said Intel CEO Paul Otellini.

The Bay Trail chip is a complete redesign of the Atom micro architecture and is expected to get Atom chips closer to mainstream Intel chips in performance.

Okay, so no one at Intel actually says the word “netbook.” You can’t blame them, given the death sentence the product category has received.

But all the signs are there: sub-$300 price tags (possibly spurred by discount Windows 8 licenses), Atom-based processors and small screens (we assume, given that Atom chips are nearly impossible to find in larger displays). It all seems so familiar.

Read full story @ Time

Intel Develops Atom System-on-Chip with "Ivy Bridge" Graphics Core.

Intel Develops Atom System-on-Chip with "Ivy Bridge" Graphics Core-Xbit Labs
Intel Corp. is working on a new Atom system-on-chip that will feature graphics core inherited from code-named "Ivy Bridge" microprocessor and thus supporting DirectX 11 capabilities. The new chips are already listed in Intel's drivers and will likely be released in foreseeable future.
Intel Atom "ValleyView" (VLV) processor will have two current-generation Atom cores, will have integrated memory controller "Pondicherry" memory arbiter as well as Intel generation 7 graphics core (Ivy Bridge) found inside Core i-series "Ivy Bridge" chip, according to findings made by Phoronix web-site. The chip will support output to two DisplayPort monitors as well as to one HDMI panel in addition to other outputs.

More @ X-bit Labs

Intel Unveils First Ever Smartphone Featuring x86 Microprocessors - X-bit labs

Intel Unveils First Ever Smartphone Featuring x86 Microprocessors - X-bit labs:
At the Consumer Electronics Show 2012, Intel Corp. introduced the world's first smartphone based on the company's Atom Z2460 platform formerly code-named Medfield. The new Lenovo K800 handset will be available in Q2 2012 in China and will be the first smartphone ever to use an x86 microprocessor.

No precise specifications of the Lenovo K800 are available at the moment, but what is known is that the device sports 4.5" screen (with up to 1280*1024 resolution) and has Hyper-Threading technology activated, which points to the fact that the K800 belongs to high-end (so-called "superphones") breed of products.

Intel Medfield is powered by Atom architecture 1.60GHz x86 core with Hyper-Threading technology, enhanced Intel Deeper Sleep, C6E estate, S0i1/S0i3 power reduction features and 512KB of cache. The SoC also includes Intel GMA graphics core (OpenGL ES 2.0, OpenGL 2.1, OpenVG 1.1, 400MHz) with hardware accelerated high-definition 1080p video playback, 32-bit LPDDR2 memory controller, Intel's new image signal processor and various improvements to speed up various multimedia or security demands. The Atom Z2460 SoC can dynamically scale its clock-speeds and also supports the new Smart Idle technology (SIT) which enables it to switch off while the operating systems remains in the "on" state (S0); the technique takes full advantage of clock and distributed power gating across power islands and can instantly resume from idle states thanks to L2 cache peculiarities. The new chip is in production now using 32nm process technology.

More @ X-bit Labs

Intel positions to take on ARM

PC MAG:  Intel Positions Medfield Chips to Take On ARM
 The chip giant is preparing to show off its new mobile System-on-a-Chip (SoC), codenamed Medfield, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. Intel has "reference designs" of tablets and smartphones (like the one pictured at left) that sport its new Atom-branded SoC and run Google's popular Android mobile operating system. 

Those two accomplishments, plus the fact that Medfield appears to be optimized for a living, breathing consumer software platform like Android rather than a largely theoretical one like MeeGo, could at long last put Intel in a position to take market share away from ARM. 

More @ PC MAG  

Intel's new Atom processor to lower netbook prices - Computerworld

Intel's new Atom processor to lower netbook prices - Computerworld: "IDG News Service - Intel on Wednesday said it has introduced a new Atom processor to bring down the price of netbooks in emerging markets to under $200, but the lower price may come at a performance penalty.


The single-core Atom N435 runs at 1.33GHz and includes 512KB of cache, making it the slowest of second-generation N-series processors that go into most netbooks today. The next fastest chips are the Atom N450 and N455 chips, which run at 1.66GHz.


Asus is using the new Atom N435 in its latest Eee PC X101, which is priced starting at $199. The laptop is being shown at the Computex trade show being held in Taipei."