Intel Corp.'s release early next month of its next mobile platform, dubbed Napa, and Viiv entertainment computers, present more opportunity for the chipmaker's channel of system builders and resellers than previous releases, Intel executives and resellers said.
Napa and Viiv, offer Intel partners a ready-to-customize platform with opportunity to wrap value-adds and personalization, said Frank Raimondi, Intel's Strategic Channel Alliances Manager.
"We have at hand and present, systems ready and engineered to be delivered specifically with the channel in mind," Raimondi said following an event this week to unveil some of the products' specifications. "This isn't an OEM product that they can also customize; this is designed and engineered to be ready for them to work with."
"The channel has a strong opportunity to personalize these in ways customers want it," he said. "Customers want reliability and quality, and they get that here… They get the chance to add in the services and the specifications customers want in need."
Read more here about Intel's Napa chip bundle.
Napa, built on Yonah, Intel's first dual-core chip, improves performance 68 percent compared to Sonoma, Intel's previous incarnation of the Centrino line, and reduces energy consumption by 28 percent. The energy reduction will allow users to extend battery life, beyond the five-hour mark, said Erik Reid, product marketing director at Intel's Mobile Platforms Group.
Napa also reduces the size of the chipset's components by 30 percent, giving OEM and system builders the opportunity to reduce the size of their units or add more capabilities, Reid said.
Viiv, which also employs a dual-core processor and Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, allows users to control music, video, streaming media and game technology from a remote control. The technology has applications in both home entertainment centers and corporate media centers and conference rooms.
The company is working with several manufacturers, such as MovieLink, Adobe, Napster and TiVo, to develop Viiv-Verified applications and services compatible with the system and channel partners will be integral in delivering custom configured packages of services and components, Raimondi said.
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