AMD launches logo: Better by Design

It would seem that AMD's marketing department has been outworking engineering lately. We thought AMD might use CES to strike back at Intel and its competitor's runaway hit, the Core 2 Duo processor. Instead of new chips, however, AMD sat us down to talk about a new logo. Still with us? Good. You'll soon be seeing Better by Design stickers on Vista laptops and desktops. The Better by Design logo is AMD's seal of approval that a system will provide a satisfying Vista experience in terms of overall performance and, for laptops, fast wireless connectivity.

The Better by Design logo will, of course, appear on systems that use AMD processors--the 64-bit, dual-core variety--and, in a testament to AMD's open platform strategy, either ATI or Nvidia graphics. (AMD acquired ATI last year and, thus, now competes directly with Nvidia.) For laptops, parts from three wireless networking companies--Airgo, Atheros, and Broadcom--have qualified so far. With the right processor, graphics, and wireless chip onboard, AMD will sign off on a partner's laptop if certain performance levels are achieved. Ditto for desktops, without the wireless bit.

We're all for labs testing here at CNET, and we appreciate that AMD is working with its partners to ensure that a PC's components all play nice together. But what will help propel the Better by Design forward if it was able to include a next-generation AMD processor. Come on, engineering, hop to it.