Centrino Powered Notebooks Ship

By Doug Olenick

Intel has garnered support from all the major computer manufacturers for its Centrino mobile processor, with each rolling out at least one Centrino-equipped model.

Sony, Gateway, Dell and Toshiba all had consumer models available for the chip's official launch, and Hewlett-Packard will release one shortly. Centrino is Intel's first processor built from the ground up for notebook use. It is 802.11-wireless ready and has improved battery performance compared with Pentium mobile processors.

Intel described the new processors as combining Centrino mobile technology with Intel's Pentium M processor, the Intel 855 chipset and the Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 network connection. The processors come in speeds of 1.3GHz, 1.4GHz, 1.5GHz and 1.6GHz.

The Sony Z1A is the company's newest Vaio notebook series. The five-pound, 1-inch thick Z1A falls between the Vaio 505 ultra-portables and the company's larger desktop replacement models. A limited number of the $2,400 notebooks have been distributed to East Coast retailers, said Mike Abary, director of Vaio PC marketing, adding they also can be bought direct from Sony. The Z1A is 802.11b ready, has a 1.3GHz Centrino processor, 14-inch LCD, 60GB hard drive, a DVD/CD-RW combo drive and 512MB of memory.

Sony plans additional Centrino powered notebooks later this year.

Toshiba introduced five models in its Satellite Pro, Tecra and Portege lines. The Satellite Pro M10 and M15, which are intended for the consumer/SoHo market, have street prices of $1,999 and $2,079. Each has a DVD/CD-RW combo drive, TV-out button, USB and FireWire ports, an expansion bay and 5.5 hours of battery life.

Toshiba's three other Centrino models — the Tecra M1, Tecra S1 and Portege R100 — are for the corporate market. They have respective street prices of $2,154, $1,974 and $2,199.

Dell's contribution is the Inspiron 600m. The series is available in several configurations starting with a base suggested price of $1,399. This has a 1.3GHz processor, 256MB of memory, 14.1-inch LCD and it is 802.11b ready. Other configurations available can contain up to 1GB of memory, 802.11g/b wireless networking, a 60GB hard drive, various DVD and CD-RW drives, and two different ATI Radeon 9000 graphics cards.

Gateway's Centrino offerings are included in its new 450-notebook family. These are available with all four processors, 14.1-inch and 15-inch displays, 802.11b networking, up to 1GB of memory, as well as 30GB, 40GB and 60GB hard drives. Prices will range between $1,599 and $1,999.

HP introduced several Centrino notebooks under its Compaq Evo line for the enterprise market and plans to introduce another model for the consumer market later in the spring.