TAIPEI, TAIWAN: Intel Corp. kicked off Computex with a keynote by Sean Maloney, Intel executive vice president and general manager, Sales and Marketing Group. He highlighted how powerful microprocessors and high-speed WiMAX wireless networks will usher in a new era of the full Internet on mobile devices.

Maloney also introduced new chipsets that improve high-definition entertainment and storage capabilities on desktop PCs. He announced the availability of Intel Atom processors, a new processor family that will power a new category of affordable devices for the Internet, called netbooks and nettops.

Saying that Intel's upcoming Nehalem processors will deliver the computing performance needed for creating, sharing and enjoying the HD video applications of the future, Maloney demonstrated a visionary computing environment on a Nehalem system in which photos can be resized and organized chronologically with the touch of a finger.

Nehalem is an entirely new architecture that leverages Intel's Core microarchitecture. Maloney said that it is on track to go into production in tQ4.

A summary of Intel news and updates from Computex follows:

Netbooks and nettops: Intel announces availability of new category of devices
Intel Atom processor, formerly codenamed “Diamondville,” was launched by Navin Shenoy, vice president, Intel Asia Pacific general manager, and Noury Al-Kahledy, general manager of nettop and netbook computing, Intel’s Mobile Platform Group.

Intel Atom processor -- The Intel Atom processor, which was designed from the ground-up for low power in small form factors, is perfectly suited for this new segment. This new chip design, coupled with Intel’s industry-leading 45nm High-k metal gate manufacturing process, enables smaller chips at a lower cost.
System Availability -- There is significant interest from system vendors in these new devices and Intel expects about 10 designs to be launching from Acer, Asus, ECS, Gigabyte, Malata, Medion, MSI, Quanta, Shuttle and other companies; they will be available throughout 2008 from Sylvania, Toshiba and others.
Solid State Drive (SSD) Option -- Intel is introducing the Intel Z-P230 PATA Solid-State Drive, an innovative storage solution for value mobile and desktop systems. It’s a cost-effective storage solution designed to replace traditional hard disk drives in netbook and nettop systems, yet is four times smaller and lighter than a standard 1.8-inch hard disk drive. The solid-state design eliminates all moving parts, making it more rugged and reliable for mobile designs.

Intel 4 Series Chipset
Navin Shenoy, vice president, Intel Asia Pacific general manager, and Eric Mentzer, vice president of Intel’s Mobility Group, general manager of Chipset and Graphics Development, unveiled the company’s new advanced chipset family and related technologies, bringing new capabilities and uncompromised performance.

Intel 4 Series Chipset Family: Delivers Enhanced Graphics Capabilities
The new Intel G45 Express Chipset, featuring the updated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD, delivers new levels of visual performance and quality, including several “firsts” for Intel platforms:

* First Intel platform to integrate complete hardware High Definition (HD) pipelines for Blu-ray and other HD content playback.
* First Intel platform to post-process HD content for improved visual quality.
* First Intel platform with integrated DisplayPort and HDMI with HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) keys for digital content link protection.

Intel P45 Express Chipset:
A follow up to the popular Intel P35 Express Chipset, is designed to deliver performance features to mainstream platforms. This new chipset adds support for next-generation PCI Express 2.0 with new dual graphics configurations and the ability to tune performance beyond its baseline specification.

Mobile Internet Devices: Best Internet Experience in Your Pocket
Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and general manager of the Ultra Mobility Group, Intel, discussed the progress Intel, its customers and the industry ecosystem are making in bringing Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) to market.

Mobile Internet Devices based on Intel Centrino Atom processor technology Becoming Real
MID customers and ecosystem players are making excellent progress in getting products to market beginning this summer. Peter Chen, general manager, BenQ Technology Product Center, and Masatsugu Shinozaki, executive vice president and general manager, Car Information System Division, Hitachi, Ltd., will discuss how they are bringing entertainment and information experiences to market on their upcoming MIDs in Chandrasekher’s keynote. Additionally, Intel will demonstrate Intel Centrino Atom- based MIDs from Asus, BenQ, Clarion, Fujitsu, Gigabyte, Panasonic, Sharp, and USI in the media showcase.

MID Ecosystem Momentum Continues to Grow:
Support from more than 50 software vendors and optimized applications through a range of demos in Chandrasekher’s presentation. Chandrasekher specifically highlighted the experience that Joost can bring to MID users on-the-go with 30,000 hours of free video through its easily customizable and personal software platform.

Chandrasekher also discussed how Intel is collaborating with a range of wireless companies including Option for 3G and Connection Manager software, Siano for Mobile TV, and Gemtek and Samsung Electro-Mechanics for wireless modules to deliver an always connected experience on MIDs. Additionally, Chandrasekher will highlight support from China Mobile, China Unicom, Clearwire, Korea Telecom, NTT DoCoMo, SK Telecom, Sprint, T-Mobile, UQ Communications and Willcom.