Netbooks to Get Longer Battery Life With New Atom Chips

Netbooks could offer longer battery life and better system performance when Intel launches its second generation of Atom processors, which are due to start shipping soon.

The new netbook chips, code-named Pineview, will draw less power and deliver faster performance, an Intel spokesman said. Pineview chips are part of the Pine Trail platform, aimed at netbooks and low-cost desktops. Intel declined to comment on the release date for Pineview processors. But company officials have said that netbooks using the chip could start shipping as early as January. Pineview chips are already being manufactured, and samples have shipped out to PC makers.

Intel is integrating a graphics and memory controller into the CPU, which will enable reduced power consumption and improved performance in desktops and netbooks, said Bill Calder, an Intel spokesman.

Atom processors were first launched in 2008 for netbooks, which are low-cost laptops that are typically characterized by small screens and keyboards. The devices are designed to surf the Web and run basic applications like word processing. Atom chips go into most netbooks today.

The chip maker showed some prototypes of netbooks and nettops, which are low-cost desktops, at the Intel Developer Forum in September. The company has not shared specifics about the clock speeds or cache inside the processor. However, some specifications were posted in information about Lenovo and Fujitsu computers on the U.S. Federal Communications Communication's Web site, including mentioning a Pineview processor running at the speed of 1.66GHz. That information has since been removed from the FCC site.

The reduction of components could also allow PC makers to design thinner netbooks, said Dan Olds, principal analyst at Gabriel Consulting Group. The reduction of chips in the platform also will lead to lower prices, which could lead to cheaper and more affordable netbooks, Olds said.


Intel is embracing the trend of creating smaller and cheaper netbooks for people to buy its products, Olds said. "The price point brings a lot more people into the market, where the computer gets down to a point where it's almost an impulse purchase," Olds said.