Intel® Atom™ processor Z5xx for Vehicle System and Internet Phone

Intel Corporation at March 2, 2009; announced new products the Intel® Atom™ processor Z5xx series include industrial-temperature options, as well as different package-size choices better suited for in-car infotainment devices, media phones, eco-technologies and other industrial-strength applications.



The low-power Intel Atom processor is behind much of Intel’s growth into several new computing-related market segments, extending the popular Intel® architecture to embedded industries such as automotive in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), industrial control and automation, and media phones. These products also enable market segment innovation through advancements in integrated 2-D and 3-D graphics, video acceleration and support for multiple operating systems including several versions of Windows* and Linux*.

"Intel is well known for innovation and we’re excited to see them introducing new low-power consumption Intel Atom processors targeted for in-vehicle systems," said Greg Baribault, director of product management for the Automotive Business Unit at Microsoft*. "Intel Atom processors and the Microsoft Auto software platform will provide scalability for the new era of advanced in-vehicle solutions."

In addition to in-car applications, the Intel Atom Z5xx processor series also targets an emerging category of Internet-based communications devices Intel calls "media phones." The package size and power envelope of the Intel Atom Z5xx series are ideal for the media phone, which provides communications services over IP and easy, one-touch access to lifestyle applications such as e-mail, text messaging, weather information, YouTube*, horoscopes and digital photo albums.

To help accelerate this emerging device category, Intel today introduced an Intel® Media Phone Reference Design that will facilitate development of hardware solutions to market. The hardware development platform includes schematics and validated software stacks.

The new products will be available in the second quarter. For more information about the new options for the Intel Atom processor Z5xx series, visit developer.intel.com/design/intarch/atom500/index.htm.

The Sony VAIO P Series, Netbooks the next big small thing

Tiny laptops could soon be as ubiquitous as mobile phones as computer makers continue to refine their cheap "netbook" machines with new features including touch-screens and GPS navigation.

At the 2009 CES Show in Las Vegas, Sony upped the ante by unveiling a mini-laptop with a twist, Sony VAIO P Series. It has a widescreen 8-inch display and measures 24 centimeters wide by 11 cm deep and 2 cm thick, giving it a form factor that, according to Sony, allows it to be slipped into a jacket pocket or handbag. An advantage of the wide form-factor is that the keyboard can be made slightly larger. The key pitch on the Vaio P (the distance from the center of one key to the center of the next) is 16.5 millimeters, considerably more than on keyboards used on some of the small form-factor netbooks currently available.

Every SKU has the same 1.33Ghz Atom inside (the Z series not the pokier N)—not incredibly speedy, and 2GB of RAM. The built-in 3G is Verizon only, and they wouldn't comment on a GSM version. It's based on the Intel Atom processor and will be available in North America from February for around US$900. That's for Vista Home Basic—you've gotta drop a grand to get real Vista. Otherwise, the 4 different SKUs vary based mostly on storage—60GB starting up to a 128GB SSD in the $1500 model.