Intel

Intel officially rolls out Ivy Bridge chip

Intel officially announced the high-end, third-generation Core "Ivy Bridge" processor today, and confirmed that more mainstream processors will be coming later.

As expected, Intel said that 13 quad-core i5 and i7 Ivy Bridge processor models are available starting today, aimed at high-end desktop, laptop, and all-in-one designs.

And the chipmaker confirmed that dual-core processors for ultrabooks and mainstream designs will be announced "in the coming months."

Those processors will ultimately find their way into Windows 8 hybrids. "There's a whole new wave of convertible designs coming, where you can get the best of a … Read more

Xolo X900: Meet Intel's first smartphone

As expected, the first smartphone powered by an Intel processor launched this week: the Lava Xolo 900.

Intel and India-based Lava International today announced the general availability of the Xolo X900, built around the Intel Atom Z2460 processor. The phone will be available for purchase in the India market on April 23 at a street price of approximately 22,000 rupees, or about $420.

Lava also announced a partnership with Croma, a national Indian chain of megastores, which will sell the X900.

In addition to the 1.6GHz Atom processor with a 400MHz graphics chip clock, the phone features full … Read more

Will ultrabooks, Windows 8 finally spur PC growth?

Intel's CEO believes that ultrabooks and Windows 8 will combine to spark PC market growth. Is he right or is it just wishful thinking?

Here's what Paul Otellini said yesterday during the company's earnings conference call responding to an analyst's question about ultrabooks:

"The Ultrabook...we said that's going to be 40 percent of consumer notebooks at year end...[The market] has not had a lot of new and exciting products the last few years."

He continued. "And so this year, you've got a one-two punch with Intel and Microsoft, both … Read more

MacBook Air, ultrabook chips coming as second Intel launch

Ivy Bridge chips for laptops like the MacBook Air, the Dell XPS 13 ultrabook, and HP Envy series will come in a second wave, Intel's CEO said today during the company's first-quarter earnings conference call.

"The first versions of Ivy Bridge that we're shipping are quad-cores," CEO Paul Otellini said during the call today. "And then the second launch of the products is the dual core, which is the mainstream notebooks," he added.

The first launch will happen on Monday, the second launch is likely in June. That's the timeframe that a … Read more

First Intel-powered smartphone due this week

Intel CEO Paul Otellini couldn't have made it any clearer: The first smartphone to use an Intel processor is due "later this week."

"Expect to see another important milestone for our business later this week. The launch of the first Intel architecture-based smartphone," Otellini said during his opening remarks in today's first-quarter earnings conference call.

That phone will likely be from Lava, according to a source familiar with the India-based smartphone maker's plans.

Specifications include an Intel Z2460 Atom chip, a 4.03-inch screen (1024x600), 8MP camera, HSPA+, and 16GB flash memory (see … Read more

Windows 8 RT to bring eclectic mix of PCs

Microsoft affirmed today that Windows running on power-efficient chips from ARM will yield smaller, lighter devices. Not unlike Intel's goal for ultrabooks.

As of today, Windows on ARM is officially called Windows RT, or Windows Runtime -- which essentially refers to the Metro part of Windows 8.

Main points of today's Microsoft Windows RT announcement:

Pre-installed only: "This single edition will only be available pre-installed on PCs and tablets powered by ARM processors and will help enable new thin and lightweight form factors with impressive battery life." Touch-optimized Office: "Windows RT will include touch-optimized desktop … Read more

Intel 60GB solid-state drive sinks to $89

Intel today announced the availability of a series of solid-state drives with a 60GB version selling for $89, the least expensive dollars-per-gigabyte drive to date from Intel.

The 330 Series use a SATA 6 gigabit-per-second (Gb/s), giving "consumers a more affordable entry into the accelerated storage performance of SSDs," Intel said in a statement. The SATA 6Gb/s interface doubles the bandwidth of its current SATA 3Gb/s Intel SSD 320 Series. … Read more

Intel Ivy Bridge chip imminent, quad-core first

Expect the first of Intel's Ivy Bridge chip announcements on April 23, when the chipmaker will unveil its high-performance models, sources tell CNET.

The first Ivy Bridge processors will be quad-core mobile and desktop, an industry source, who is familiar with the rollout, told CNET. More power-efficient ultrabook-specific dual-core chips will come later in the quarter.

Ivy Bridge is the first in a series of upcoming Intel mainstream chips that emphasize graphics and multimedia processing over more traditional compute tasks. And most importantly for consumers, Ivy Bridge chips will power the wave of Windows 8 ultrabooks that will break … Read more

Intel's Windows 8 tablet: Checklist goes public

Intel is offering more specifics on the features of future Windows 8 tablet at a conference in Beijing. It's a laudable goal, but can Intel make it happen this year?

Underneath the glass will be beat an Atom Z2760 "Clover Trail" chip: dual-core capable with "burst mode" (for quick bursts of performance when needed) and Hyperthreading -- the latter allows a dual-core chip to behave in quad-core-like fashion in some cases. … Read more