Intel''s new Centrino laptop hardware to use flash memory

San Francisco: Intel Corp is due to launch new hardware for laptops that is expected to enable it to maintain its dominance of the personal computer market. The new product is, in fact, not a processor but a platform that includes various components including the main processor and all the secondary chips that add features such as wireless network connectivity.

Codenamed "Santa Rosa", Intel's new product has been generating interest because it is the first to use flash memory chips, that will boost performance and battery life by storing some data on flash memory similar to that found in digital media players and digital cameras. Moreover, flash chips can be accessed more quickly than a hard drive and also use less power.

Intel has about 80 per cent of the overall PC market and updates its Centrino chip virtually every year to maintain its lead over rival AMD.

Intel says it has also improved the integrated graphics of Centrino laptops, adding features and software that make video richer and more akin to what people would see on a television.

In addition, Intel is supporting the latest version of the Wi-Fi wireless technology that can deliver a maximum access speed of 300 megabits per second, about five times faster than the current popular version.