Intel Corporation unveiled its Centrino 2 Processor Technology products for laptops today, powered by several new Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

Close to 250 innovative consumer and business wireless notebook PC designs are on the way  – including those equipped with the right combination of powerful processors, graphics and battery life to enjoy stunning high definition videos and myriad other computer and Internet activities, said the company.

Intel also introduced the world’s highest performing dual-core mobile processor, the  Intel Core 2 Extreme processor running at a brisk 3.06 GHz, as measured by  SPECint*_rate_base2006, an industry benchmark.
 
Intel said it also plans to unveil its first mobile quad-core products and second generation products for ultra thin and light notebooks on August 19. In total, Intel will bring eight diverse new processors into the marketplace as laptop sales continue to outpace desktop PCs.

 Formerly code-named Montevina, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology and Intel Centrino 2 with vPro Technology improve upon every facet of a laptop’s main features, including performance and longer battery life via new processors and chipsets, faster draft 802.11n wireless (with WiMAX arriving later this year), and new business-class manageability capabilities.

 “When we first introduced Intel Centrino back in 2003, there were very few Wi-Fi hotspots, YouTube videos and social media didn’t really exist, ‘thin and light’ referred to personal weight goals and desktop PCs outsold notebooks by a very wide margin,” said Mooly Eden, Intel corporate vice president and general manager of the company’s Mobile Platforms Group. “Today, notebooks outsell desktops in the US, and we’re paving the way to HD entertainment, rich online gaming, faster broadband wireless speeds and an easier and more secure way for businesses to manage, update and repair their notebook fleets.”

Intel is introducing five new dual core processors based on Intel’s reinvented high-k metal gate advanced 45-nm transistors. These processors come with a faster 1066MHz front side bus and up to 6MB of L2 cache, and three versions reduce laptop processor wattage about 30 percent, down to just 25 watts.

Centrino 2 processors also feature Intel Dynamic Acceleration and Deep Power Down technologies that boost performance to get tasks done more quickly, while turning off processing components such as core clocks and cache memory when the laptop is idle for greater energy savings.
   
Intel also launched its Mobile Intel 45 Express Chipset and new wireless Intel WiFi Link 5000 series that is shipping to customers now, with laptops arriving in July and August. Delivering five times the speed and twice the range of older 802.11a/g technology, the Intel WiFi Link 5000 series provides 802.11 draft-N support that delivers the fastest data rates possible today -- up to 450 Mbps.

Switchable graphics, a new optional power-saving feature available on Intel Centrino 2-based notebooks, provides both integrated and discrete graphics on a single notebook, enabling users to easily switch between the two options. Switchable graphics delivers greater 3D performance when needed while providing the option for greater power savings for the best of both worlds.
 
Additionally, the platform includes a new version of Intel Turbo Memory, a flash memory-based storage technology that speeds up software loading and boot times, further enhancing the system’s responsiveness in a very energy efficient manner. Intel Turbo Memory does this in conjunction with Windows Vista ReadyBoost  and has doubled the hard drive storage capacity from the previous version to 2 GB.

For consumers, Intel Centrino 2 processor technology delivers the horsepower and battery life to enjoy a typical full-length, Blu-ray high-definition video on a single battery charge f