Intel launches new year with Yonah and Viiv

The world's leading chip maker will start 2006 with a major attention-grabbing event: the release of a new generation processing device for laptops and will then focus on developing a home entertainment system.

According to Keith Kresslin, Intel's mobile platform market manager, the Yonah dual-core chip for notebooks, based on the new Napa platform (developed from Centrino technology), will appear soon next month. This device improved 68% performance compared to the company's current chip. "Customers will be able to make Skype calls while still playing the game," Kresslin said.

Laptops and compact desktop systems equipped with Yonah will also be released at the same time the chip is released. Laptops operating on Yonah are expected to consume only 3 watts of average power.

The Santa Clara, California (USA) manufacturer hopes Yonah will be their "genius" next year. In 2004, Intel's revenue was narrowed significantly due to the unstable operation status of processing equipment. In 2005, product quality problems were gone, but Intel continued to lose market to rival AMD.

The first quarter of 2006 will also receive Intel's Viiv integrated chip and software. These systems will become home entertainment centers with the ability to store music, photos, videos and record TV shows. From the third quarter, Viiv PC supports people to download movies directly to handheld devices even if the movie has been protected by copy protection software.

Intel also plans to test the compatibility of Viiv computers with other devices such as mobile phones, LCD TVs and with content download services. These products will be labeled to prove they are related to Viiv.

Viiv computer will be shown at CES exhibition in Las Vegas in January 2006. The system will first be exported to 9 countries and then expand to the whole world.

One of Intel's image influences in 2005 was that it did not have impressive new products. Except for a series of devices in January, Intel did not announce more processor chips during the past 12 months. Even the company's dual-core chips are just two single-core versions put together.

Presler, another dual-core chip for laptops, was also introduced early next year, while the entire line of desktop, server and notebook chips on the new platform will unveil the second half of 2006. Intel is also producing. 65 nm chip while AMD has to wait until the end of next year to start.