Intel Launches Fresh Mobile Quad-Core Chip

Intel over the weekend introduced a new mobile quad-core chip, which Acer started offering Monday in its latest Aspire laptop for multimedia and gaming enthusiasts.

In addition, online retailers started offering pre-orders of Advanced Micro Devices' Phenom II quad-core chip, which AMD plans to introduce next month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The new product is aimed at high-end desktops.

The Acer Aspire 8930G-7665 laptop is powered by Intel's new Core 2 Quad Q9000. On Sunday, Intel released an updated price list that lists the 2.0-GHz Q9000 for $348 in batches of 1,000. Pricing for Intel's other mobile quad cores start at $851, with the highest-price product, the QX9300, listing for $1,038.

Intel also listed four new dual-core processors for laptops, the 2.93-GHz T9800, $530; the 2.66-GHz P9600, $348; the 2.66-GHz T9550, $316; and the 2.53-GHz P8700, $241.

The latest Acer Aspire sports an 18-inch display and includes 4 GB of memory, an Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT graphics card with 512 MB of video memory, and a 500-GB, 7,200-RPM hard disk drive. The system also includes a Blu-ray disc player, built-in Wi-Fi support, a Webcam, and Windows Vista Premium. The manufacturer suggested retail price is $1,800.

AMD's 3.0-GHz Black Edition Phenom II X4 9400 was available for pre-order on Computers4Sure, owned by Office Depot, and A-Power Computer Online. The chip comes with a three-year warranty.

Intel Puts Mobile Quad-core Chip in Acer Notebook

For those of you who have been waiting for someone to cram a quad-core processor into a notebook, your time has come. Intel announced over the weekend of Dec. 27 the launch of a new mobile quad-core chip, the Q9000, which PC maker Acer is selling in its Aspire 8930G-7665 notebook.

Designed for multimedia and gaming enthusiasts on the go, the chip utilizes four processing cores, 6MB of shared Level 2 cache, a 1066 MHz front side bus and clock speed rates up to 2.0GHz. Along with the quad-core mobile processing power, the notebook brings high-definition functionality. The chip is backed by a three-year warranty and the notebook is backed by a one-year warranty.

The notebook PC features an 18.4-inch HD CineCrystal widescreen 1920 by 1080 pixel display, with an 18-inch widescreen, 16:9 aspect ratio for improved color and visual detail. Acer has also thrown in a Blu-ray Disc player, Dolby audio and an Nvidia GeForce 9700M GT graphics card with 512GB of memory. Acer claims all these features provide a "cinematic" experience filled with rich video and sound.

Other features include built-in Wi-Fi support, a Webcam, a six-in-one media card reader, 4GB of dual-channel memory and Windows Vista Premium. The manufacturer suggested retail price is $1,799.95.

"By incorporating the latest capabilities of Intel's Core 2 Quad mobile processors into the Aspire 8930G-7665, Acer is delivering a perfect combination of mobility, innovation and extreme gaming capabilities," Sumit Agnihotry, vice president of product marketing for Acer America, said in a statement. "Gamers and enthusiasts who enjoy HD multimedia entertainment will find the performance benefits of quad-core mobile performance in the Aspire 8930G unrivaled [by] other multimedia notebooks on the market."

Intel also announced the launch of four other four dual-core chips, the 2.93-GHz T9800, selling for $530, the 2.66-GHz P9600, selling for $348, the 2.66-GHz T9550, selling for $316, and the 2.53-GHz P8700, selling for $241.

Elina Networks Partners with Intel

Elina Networks, a provider of networking solutions, has partnered with Intel's Business Exchange (BX) Programme for network infrastructure management and other essential IT services. The Intel BX Programme is an online technology marketplace for Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs).

The BX Programme facilitates solution providers to bid for customer businesses that focus on SMBs, bringing together offerings with bundled software and hardware, and stand-alone business applications. It enables shoppers to research products and services, request quotes, and connect with solution providers to speed the identification, selection and implementation of technology, the company said.

According to Narendra Bhandari, Director APAC, Software and Services Group, Intel, "The Intel Business Exchange (Intel BX) brings together offerings such as bundled software and hardware, stand-alone business applications and services. The community-enabled website includes resources such as product descriptions, interactive demonstrations, whitepapers, case studies, blog entries and user-submitted product ratings and reviews, in order to help SMB professionals find answers to their toughest business challenges."
Commenting on the partnership with Intel BX, Shekar Nair, CEO, Elina Networks, said, "We are pleased to be the first vendor in the IT and networking category and this gives us a strong advantage in reaching customers. The unified network, security and management functionality provided by our ENPAQ series of unified gateway products dramatically reduces the cost of implementing and maintaining a network for the organization."