IDF Spring 2004: mobile future, Intel’s version. Florence platform
Mobile PC evolution trends designated at IDF Spring 2004 are strongly intertwined with the digital home concept. It seems that the Digital Home initiatives already described at IDF Spring 2004 are worthy of a whole article series, because they denote not only their ubiquitous expansion into everything from mobile handsets to consumer electronics, but also offer certain module specs and general recommendations for various platform versions. In other words, the Digital Home ideology has not only absorbed various Centrino-based consumer electronics sketches, but has also considered a certain mobile platform of the future as a digital home component! But now, let´s leave this extensive theme aside and speak of Florence mobile platform first offered by Intel as a general concept of future notebooks.
Intel Florence concept notebook series includes three basic models. The first of them is designed for those "workers on the go", the second is a kind of a virtual workplace also denoting the "mobile office" term, while the third is a Mobile Entertainment PC exactly typifying a digital home element. Despite such different target groups, all three models actually represent the so-called "consumer" notebooks, which market should finally form by 2005.
Each notebook has a number of basic features, including detachable LCD display that can be optionally dubbed by a flat-panel monitor or touchscreen, wide security options with support of the latest Trusted Platform Module 1.2 specs, Microsoft Longhorn OS, extended management features, auxiliary LCD display — Extended Mobile Access (EMA) mounted into notebook body, etc.
One of the key components of the "on the go" model is a 12" display and a wireless mouse that also works as a VOIP handset. Besides, users will be able to transform such models into tablet PCs.
The office concept features 15.4" display, array microphones, biosensor, digital camera, also supports EMA.
The massive Mobile Entertainment PC will feature a compulsory large display (up to 17"), a universal keyboard — Bluetooth remote control, an optical DVD drive, and a universal TV/FM tuner.
As for the mobile platform evolution trends, the first serious renovation will be the release of 90nm Pentium M processors on Dothan core with 2MB L2 cache. Besides, Intel´s mobile solutions will move to Sonoma platform on Alviso chipset supporting 533MHz FSB, Intel High Definition Audio and featuring integrated TV-Out, up to 4 x PCI Express slots, up to 2GB DDR2, 3rd-generation graphics, display energy saving technology 2.0 and 802.11a/b/g.
Within its strategy of developing more efficient mobile components the company plans to devote special attention to energy saving of wireless interfaces.
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