Road warriors have always coveted thin and light when it comes to notebook computers because they are easier to pack than more mainstream notebooks, and less weight to carry around. But the thin and light class of notebooks have traditionally cost more and not been available in the variety of models of more mainstream models.
As Hardware Central reports, Intel is looking to change that with the release of a new line of low-end, ultra-low voltage (ULV) processors
Intel today broadened its number of ultra-low voltage (ULV) processors to include a complete range, from Celeron to Core i7, for the super-thin laptop market. This announcement builds on Intel
’
s January introduction of laptop processors, which included only a few low-end ULV processors.
Today’s announcement is an array of ULV processors for ultra-thin laptops of approximately 0.8 to one inch thick that weigh in at one to two pounds lighter than traditional laptops (think Windows 7 rivals to Apple’s MacBook Air, but priced well below that portable’s $1,499).
Built on Intel’s (NASDAQ: INTC) 32-nanometer process and Westmere, the second-generation design of the Nehalem architecture, these new ULVs draw only 17 watts of power, half of the old 35W power draw of the previous generation. That’s according to Mooly Eden, vice president and general manager of the PC Client Group at Intel, who described the advancements during a press conference this morning.