Digit 2005-04 - Clevernotions.com

Creative laptops
BY NEIL BENNETT
The next generation of laptops and mobile workstations are here, so whether
you need something small and light for regular travel or a powerhouse that
only needs to go desk-to-desk, prepare to do more on the move.
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004 was supposed to see the laptop emerge – we’d all chuck out
our hulking desktops and workstations and work from ‘hot’ desks
and airport lounges on tiny silver devices, serviced by secretaries
in pencil skirts while saying ‘Ciao’ into mobile phones.
While this fed the fantasies of largely male sales departments and
middle managers, creative pros have been underwhelmed by what’s been
made available to them. Creative applications from Quark and Photoshop
to Final Cut Pro and LightWave require high-resolution workspaces, which
require a screen at least 15-inches in size. The only laptops combining
spacious displays with a light frame seemed to be Apple’s PowerBook
G4s, which were a generation behind their workstation-class G5 cousins.
At the beginning of 2005 though, Intel is attempting redress the balance
between power and mobility with a renewed version of its Centrino platform
for notebook computers. The platform, known by its development codename
Sonoma, will provide benefits across the board, according to Intel.
The Centrino platform is aimed at notebook computers and consists
of three major pieces: the processor, its companion chipset, and a wireless
board. The new Centrino platform includes improved versions of all three
components with a new chipset, called 915 Express, forming its centrepiece.
The 915 Express chipset, formerly known by the code-name Alviso, adds
support for the PCI Express interconnect technology. This allows users to
add more powerful graphics chips to their notebooks.
The chipset supports DDR2 memory, a next-generation memory
standard that clears the way for memory chips to run at faster speeds.
The chipset also comes with support for a faster front-side bus, increasing
the speed at which data flows between the processor and the memory
from 400MHz to 533MHz. Multimedia improvements include support
for Dolby Digital and Dolby 7.1-channel surround sound.
Changes have also been made to the wireless side of the package.
There is improved networking software, within both the chipset and a new
client application. Intel says this will make it easier for users to connect to
Wi-Fi access points, as well as bring several security enhancements aimed
at enterprise users. However, wireless speeds are still significantly slower
than their ethernet equivalents. Wireless is great for Web surfing but you’re
still better off plugging in to move Quark documents or video clips around
your studio’s network.
Seven new Pentium M processors are available as part of the package.
They range from a top-of-the-range model that runs at 2.13GHz to an Ultra
Low Voltage version that runs at 1.2GHz.
Intel has presented benchmark tests that show a notebook PC with
a 1.6GHz processor running the new Centrino platform would deliver a 5
per cent increase in performance with no impact on battery life, compared
to a similar PC running at the same speed based on the old platform. The
difference in graphics performance between the same two PCs is even
greater with the new Centrino platform delivering a 91 per cent increase
in performance, according to Intel’s benchmarks.
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