Intel's new 'Banias' chip has mobile appeal
ZDNet | at | by Mike
Intel has produced its first prototypes of the upcoming "Banias" processor, the company's first chip purely designed for use in mobile PCs, the company announced at WinHEC on Thursday. Intel Labs produced the first test version of the chip during the past week, Intel President Paul Otellini said in a speech at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. Banias systems, including Intel's Odem chipset, will come out in early 2003 and feature 802.11b "Wi-Fi" wireless networking, long battery life and uncompromised performance, he said.
"It is the first bottom-up product designed for notebook computers that does not compromise performance," Otellini said. Banias is an "entirely new micro architecture" employing different circuitry, Otellini said in an interview after the speech. The system's 802.11 support initially will come with separate chips, but those will gradually be integrated with the other chipset components, he said.