IDF Day 2 Coverage, Mobile Computing: Defining Cool


Atom's Evolution, Relieving 3G's Bottleneck, Intel Light Peak

Next, Intel's Mooley Eden took us from the high functionality, multimedia and gaming machines to the future of ultra mobile devices and Intel's Atom low power processor family.


Intel's ever-charismatic Mooley Eden talks next-gen hand-helds and Atom's future...

Although Atom-powered netbooks are definitely a cash-cow for Intel right now, you can be sure the company is targeting the handset arena with future generation Atom derivatives, where the unit volume opportunity scales exponentially.  Speaking of which, Intel is claiming that their future gen Moorestown core will offer up to a 50X power consumption reduction in various usage models (top right).


Left and Center: Intel SSD shake and bake, Right: Intel Light Peak


Intel Light Peak and WiMax Technologies - Long reach wired connectivity and 4G wireless

Mooley transitioned to a preview of Intel's Light Peak technology which will offer a single fiber-optic cable connection for HD Video, networking, and Storage with up to 100 meters for cable reach.  Intel reports Sony and others are already on board with this new cable technology standard. 

Finally, Mooley closed the keynote with a demonstration of Intel 4G WiMAX technology that Intel claims is set to alleviate the 3G bottleneck that folks like AT&T are struggling to manage. 4G WiMax network performance will reach speeds 3 – 6Mb/sec, bursting to 10Mb. Mooley gave examples of video conferencing applications where 3G uplinks only reach 200kbps, while a 4G connection can reach 800kbps.  The team then wrapped up with a live 4G WiMAX video conference compared to a 3G stream side-by-side. The 4G stream was noticeably smoother with better image quality and audio-video synchronization.

There's little question Intel has set forth some lofty goals and initiatives for their future generation technologies.  Executing on these is where the rubber will meet the road, so to speak.  Regardless, as the IDF show slogan was written to reminds us - Intel is intent on being the "Sponsors of Tomorrow".  We'll see how Intel will bring that vision together in the months ahead and keep you in the know along the way.

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