Intel concluded its press conference today at CES 2012 and Ultrabook is the center of attraction. Intel deems Ultrabooks are the future of computing as it brings portability and gives full functionality of a PC.

More than 75 Ultrabooks are expected this year ranging in different screen sizes, including the 14-inch and 15-inch, of which majority will be powered by Intel’s upcoming generation of Core processor.

Additionally, Intel Ultrabooks will be equipped with Intel Identity Protection technology that safeguards user’s credit card details from any misuse, NFC support, touch screen displays and Nuance’s Dragon voice recognition technology.

For the future, Intel is also developing a new intuitive gesture recognition like the one used with Microsoft’s Kinect.

Intel’s Medfield-based smartphone and tablets seem to be ready for the competitive mobile market as Intel gave some hands-on time to MIT Technology Review. Intel developed a reference design smartphone and tablet running Android OS, which the MIT praised for its performance.

Medfield is the newest chip in the Atom line and unlike previous Atom processors, this is a system-on-a-chip (SoC) which are widely used in mobile devices.

The smartphone ran on Gingerbread OS and it was found to be “at par with the latest iPhone and Android handsets.” The phone is said to be lighter than iPhone and ran HD videos pretty smoothly along with a decent web browsing performance.

The reference tablet on the other hand, ran the latest Ice Cream Sandwich OS update and was “noticeably nicer to use” than tablets based on Honeycomb OS.

Devices running Intel’s Medfield are expected in the first half of 2012, which means Intel might have something to show at the CES next month.

[MIT via The Verge]

Intel knows laptop theft is a big issue, which is why they’ve introduced its Anti-Theft service for Indian consumers. This new service won’t bring back the laptop to you but it will ensure that the data inside the laptop is kept safe, encrypted and inaccessible to unauthorized people.

While most anti-theft services are software-based, Intel’s Anti-Theft uses hardware-based solution (compatible only with 2nd generation Intel Core processors) that works even if the thief reimages the hard drive, installs a new hard drive, changes the boot order or avoids connecting to the network. Moreover, users can keep the data safely encrypted when the laptop lockdown is initiated.

To bring this service to India, Intel has teamed up with Croma Retail who’ll sell the service with select Intel-based laptops or users can buy as a standalone for just Rs. 199 for 2 years.

It’s an interesting scenario – Microsoft who supported Intel architecture all these years have started supporting ARM with the Windows 8 OS and now Google whose Android OS predominantly supports ARM has announced to optimize the OS for Intel architecture.

Google will work with the semiconductor giant to bring future Android versions to Intel’s family of Atom processors. The association will also help reduce the time-to-market of Intel-based Android devices.

By optimizing the Android platform for Intel architecture, we bring a powerful new capability to market that will accelerate more industry adoption and choice, and bring exciting new products to market that harness the combined potential of Intel technology and the Android platform,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “Together we are accelerating Intel architecture and bringing new levels of innovation to a maturing Android platform.”

LG has unveiled a new AIO computer that utilizes its Film-type Patterned Retarder (FPR) display. Use of FPR displays on the V300 means, consumers will be able to watch 3D content without any flicker or eye strain, which is somewhat common in other 3D technologies. Additionally, the display boasts an In Plane Switch (IPS) screen panel that creates a 178-degree viewing angle.

LG has developed this machine in collaboration with Intel and is currently showcasing at Computex in Taiwan. The 23-inch computer is powered by Intel’s 2nd Gen Core i3, i5 or i7 processors and supports up to 8GB of RAM, up to 750GB HDD, AMD Radeon HD 6650M GPU, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 5-in-1 card reader, HD Audio, HD 720p webcam, USB2.0/USB3.0/HDMI/eSATA ports and Intel Wi-Di support.

The V300 PC will be launched in South Korea in July and will be followed by markets in Europe, Asia and Middle East.

Intel today released a new Atom processor based on its Oak Trail platform. The Atom Z670 is packed with features that is said to benefit mobile devices like tablets and netbooks. The Atom Z670 is 60 percent smaller than previous Atom generations and promises to deliver improved video playback, internet browsing without compromising on the battery life.

The processor die has an integrated graphics and memory controller and supports an HD decode engine to playback 1080p content, HDMI-out, Adobe Flash, USB 2.0, High-Definition Audio and multi-OS support.

Intel Oak Trail-based devices will start selling from next month.

Meanwhile, Intel also confirmed to showcase the next-generation mobile platform known as a Cedar Trail. The new platform will be based on 32nm process and will have an improvement in graphics department, Blu-ray 2.0 support and of course lower power consumption and better battery life. Additionally, Cedar Trail will also have a dedicated media engine for 1080p content, HDMI-out and DisplayPort support, Intel Wireless Music, Intel Wireless Display, PC Synch and Fast Boot.

Press Release

Intel has announced its next-generation SSDs based on 25-nanometer NAND flash memory. The 320 Series SSD builds on Intel’s X25-M SATA SSD that now comes with higher capacity models and about 30 percent price reduction compared to Intel’s previous generation.

Targeted at consumers and business users, Intel says an upgrade from a HDD to SSD will jump up the performance by whopping 66 percent.

Intel SATA II equipped SSD 320 Series will come in capacities of 40GB, 80GB, 120GB, 160GB, 300GB and 600GB versions and will deliver a read speed of up to 270MB/s with write speed reaching up to 220MB/s.

As for reliability and security, Intel has developed its own proprietary firmware and controller whereas adopts 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard for data security.

The prices based in 1000-unit quantities are as follows: 40GB at $89; 80GB at $159; 120GB at $209; 160GB at $289; 300GB at $529 and 600GB at $1,069.

Press Release

Lenovo has teamed up with Intel to bring their version of Classmate PC, dubbed as Classmate+. The Lenovo Classmate+ is based on Intel’s Learning Series reference design that comes with the software suite, educational software and other teaching resources.

Lenovo is the first MNC to provide Intel Learning Series classmate PC to the global market and will start with the first batch of 158,000 Classmate+ PCs in Argentina.

On the hardware front, the computer is equipped with Intel’s Atom processor running Windows 7 OS, 10.1-inch LED backlit screen, Ethernet and Wi-Fi connectivity, 1.3MP webcam, USB ports and a 4-in-1 card reader.

There’s no price fixed to this laptop due to the varied taxes and tariffs globally but is now available to education and government customers.

Press Release

Samsung’s Google TV showcase at the CES was more of a confirmation from the Korean giant that they’re willing to adopt a new TV platform in addition to their proprietary Smart TVs. Now the first technical detail seem to trickle out by way of Bloomberg’s source who claim that Samsung Google TVs will have a homegrown processor instead of Intel’s Atom, which other Google TV manufacturers use.

This if true, will be an interesting move by Samsung who already has a potent processor powering one of world’s best Android smartphones. Although it is unclear, if Samsung will use the same processor or develop a new one.

At the CES, Samsung showed off a Blu-ray player and a Google TV companion box. Google TV-enabled Samsung products are expected sometime in first half of this year.

Nokia’s backing out of MeeGo as their platform for high-end devices might have caused some worries in the MeeGo camp but Intel has released a statement confirming they’ll be committed to the OS no matter what.

In their statement, Intel does say that they’re “disappointed with Nokia’s decision” but “welcome Nokia’s continued contribution to MeeGo open source.”

Intel also said to “remain committed” to the platform and plans to bring the OS to multiple devices.

[Via LaptopMag]