Intel kicks off Centrino Pro

Coming soon to a laptop near you.

(Credit: Intel)

Marketing jargon comes and goes, but one bit of clever sticker-ware that's scored big with the public is Intel's Centrino platform. Laptops bearing the Centrino sticker (introduced in 2003) basically combine a specified combination of CPU, chipset, and wireless network interface, and promise a seamless online experience and better battery life.

The latest update, announced today by Intel, is the Centrino Pro. Previously code-named Santa Rosa, laptops bearing the Centrino Pro sticker must have, among other things, a new T7000-series dual-core CPU, 802.11n support, and a GM965 chipset.

With users demanding more and more from their laptops, Intel has built several key features into the new platform, including improved remote management of laptops for your company's IT department, faster boot times for systems, and integrated graphics that are better able to handle Windows Vista's fancy Aero effects. Or, as Mooly Eden, vice president of Intel Mobile Products Group puts it, "This is an ideal time for this product as we continue to see notebook penetration rates increasing in business."

Many of these features can already be found on desktops that use Intel's vPro technology.

Intel says Centrino Pro processor technology will be available in the second quarter of 2007, and we expect to see many major vendors releasing Centrino Pro systems in May.