Intel Centrino 2 platform is here

Intel tonight formally introduced its Centrino 2 notebook platform Monday as well as a new 45nm, 3.06GHz Core 2 Extreme mobile processor, calling it the "highest performing" chip of its kind in the world. 

"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' only referred to 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 U.S., 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."

The new Centrino 2 series is powered by new 45nm Core 2 Duo processors accumulating in total up tp five CPUs.

Centrino 2 comes with new vPro technology, the 802.11 draft-N-ready Wi-Fi Link 5000 series chips and the Mobile GM45 and PM45 Express chipsets with later additions set to include WiMAX. The new notebooks that feature the Centrino 2 platform's longer battery life, better performance, a faster 1,066MHz system bus, DDR3 memory support, and new vPro features for advanced IT management.