Intel Corp. wants the world to know that it is not about cell phones, or personal digital assistants or wireless notebooks. It is about all of them.
Working its vision under what it describes as adaptive communication technologies, the chipmaker plans to roll out cohesive solutions that will accommodate all radios within one wireless device. The device prototype is designated as the universal communicator.
Intel is not alone in this vision, as various vendors, software developers, silicon makers and carriers already have set the process in motion with alliances, standards adjustments and interoperability initiatives. Intel faces another barrier in that chips from rival Texas Instruments Inc. dominate the wireless handset space.
“Intel is pursuing a mobility vision of any network, anytime and any device,” remarked Bryan Peebler, business development manager at the emerging platforms lab of Intel, adding that the vision has become necessary as more consumers yearn for information. He explained that Intel will apply the vision to handsets and other mobile devices.
“As the opportunity for information has improved, so has the challenge,” said Peebler.
He said ACT is a suite of technologies the company is working on in its labs, focusing on six key technologies and how to converge and interact seamlessly in a device. The program accommodates such radio protocols as wireless local area network, wireless metropolitan area networks, wireless personal area networks, digital broadcasting, global positioning system and wide area networks.
The vision puts all of these air-interface technologies into one solution with the leverage of software-defined radio. The challenge requires handhelds to evolve from islands of connectivity in gradual steps toward the lofty vision, he said. Presently, industry has developed devices that move seamlessly between wireless LAN and cellular networks. Handoffs between 802.11b and GSM/GPRS as well as 802.11b and CDMA2001x already are pointing the way to broader integration.
“We are starting small,” he said, “but our roadmap includes getting more radio in for richer user experience.”
Integrating the discreet technology will open new opportunities for applications and services as developers can use one radio to facilitate the power of another radio for a specific application and service.
Asks Peebler rhetorically: “How can I use GPS and a camera for a location-based service?”
The company said the way to go about it is to “drive a base set of capabilities across platforms, utilizing Internet Protocol as a common language across multiple transports.”
Intel lists the requirements for this all-inclusive wireless experience as a flexible and powerful computing platform, cross-device collaboration, flexible coordinated radios, trusted identity and authentication, intelligent networking and efficient power management
As part of its move toward this goal, the company has unveiled enhancements for its solutions for wireless notebooks, cell phones, PDAs and other handhelds.
The chipsets include Dothan, which is the code name for the next Pentium M processor; Sonoma, a code name for the Intel Centrino mobile technology; and Bulverde, a code name for the Intel Xscale technology-based processors for cell phones and PDAs.
The company plans to devote Sept. 25 to promote Wi-Fi in what it calls “One Unwired Day.” It entails giving free wireless access in about 75 cafes, bookstores and other locations.
The company announced the new Intel 855ME chipset for Centrino and said it saves power and delivers enhanced graphics and memory performance for notebooks.
“Simultaneously, we have worked with the industry to improve the measurement of power display, with the objective of further enhancing mobile power management,” said Anand Chandrasekher, vice president and co-general manager of Intel’s Mobile Platform group.
The company said Bulverde will add camera-phone capabilities and enhance low-power and multimedia performance for cell phones and PDAs. The company said Dothan, which has smaller transistors, will enable higher performance headroom.
Meanwhile, Texas Instruments announced a new 802.11a/b/g solution for cell phones and PDAs. The company describes its new solution as offering low power and long battery life.
