Intel launches mobile WiMAX

At the recently concluded International Mobile World Congress (MWC) Forum in Barcelona, ​​Intel experts presented the original Mobile Internet Device Mobile Internet Device (MID) class devices. These are handheld mobile devices with the functionality and computing power of a full-fledged PC, possessing energy-efficient components and providing their owners high-speed Internet access, no matter where they are.

Almost all MID models from Intel will support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, optionally 3G and WiMAX. Screen size: ten centimeters.

To demonstrate the capabilities of “mobile WiMAX”, Intel specialists launched several Segway scooters to the streets of the ancient Spanish city with integrated computing devices, through which the “kickbikes” could use Internet navigation directly on the way, make VoIP calls, play streaming video and watch what was happening at the Intel booth at the MWC.
')
According to analysts, the MID market in the next 3-5 years will exceed one hundred million pieces. Of course, we are not talking about “tomorrow” - the formation of the MID market will take several years and will be directly related to the pace of implementation of broadband access networks, as well as the release of specialized computing platforms with low power consumption.

Intel first talked about MID last year at the IDF Autumn Forum in San Francisco, and already at the MWC congress announced joint plans to develop and promote MID in conjunction with the well-known telecom operator T-Mobile. The first such devices were shown in Barcelona, ​​and they will go on sale in the first half of 2008. Now Intel and T-Mobile are actively working with MID manufacturers to make them attractive and in demand.

MIDs will be sold through service providers that provide a standard set of services for laptops and T-Mobile wireless broadband services.

The Intel platform, on the basis of which the first MIDs will be manufactured, is code-named Menlow and will appear later this year, and the next - Moorestown - should see the light in 2009-2010. Both platforms guarantee users high performance with very low power consumption.

The Menlow platform is based on the Silverthorne processor, which was originally developed specifically for use in MID devices. It will be manufactured on the basis of 45-nm manufacturing technology using metal gates of transistors and a Hi-K dielectric. During its creation, a special micro-architecture with low power consumption was applied; on the Menlow platform, the Silverthorne processor will interact with the new chipset, code-named Poulsbo. Interestingly, Silverthorne consumes 10 times less energy and takes up 5 times less space than the first low-power processors for ultra-mobile PCs released in 2006. Such power consumption guarantees 6-8 hours of device operation without recharging the battery.

The clock frequency of Silverthorn has not yet been disclosed, but the creators claim that its performance will be comparable to the processors underlying the previous generation Intel Centrino processor technology. The Silverthorne microarchitecture is fully compatible with the Intel Core instruction set, using Deep Power Down (C6) power management technology and other innovations.

The Moorestown MID platform, which will appear in 2009-2010, will consist of a single-crystal system developed on the basis of the System-on-chip (SOC) principle and a communication node. SOC will contain a processor, graphics, video, as well as a memory controller on a single chip manufactured using 45 nm technology. The communication node will provide fast information input / output and various wireless access capabilities. Intel experts predict that the power consumption of MID on the Moorestown platform in sleep will be 10 times less than that of MID on the Menlow platform.

Intel, in parallel with the release of new platforms, is organizing an “ecosystem” of companies that will not only launch products, but also create a variety of applications for them. MID manufacturers include Asus, BenQ, Clarion, Lenovo, LG-E and Toshiba.

Applications for new devices are developed by Alcatel-Lucent, MobiTV, MySpace, Red Office, Skype, Ubuntu and many others.

Based on Intel