Panasonic, an industry leader in rugged, reliable mobile computers since 1996, today announced upgrades to its semi-rugged Toughbook 53 notebook computer. Panasonic's semi-rugged notebooks have built a reputation as reliable and versatile devices that deliver high-performance computing in demanding markets like insurance, construction and the military. The updated Toughbook 53, the latest in the line of products that created and continues to define the semi-rugged category, is now available with an Intel Core i5-3320M vPro processor (3MB cache, up to 3.3 GHz) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology. Other upgrades include expanded storage and improved connectivity options.

Intel Corporation today announced that its board of directors has promoted Mooly Eden and Richard Taylor to the position of senior vice president. The promotions recognize outstanding performance.

Eden, 60, is senior vice president and was recently named president and general manager of Intel Israel. In this role, Eden is responsible for Intel Israel's operations and strategy, including the Israel Development Centers and Intel's Fab 28 manufacturing facility. In his 30 years at Intel, Eden has held many management and technical positions in microprocessor design, including the Intel Pentium processor with MMX technology. He also was responsible for the development of Intel's mobile PC microprocessors and chipsets, including Intel Centrino Processor Technology, which included a low-power processor and bundle of chips that offered WiFi. This product helped make WiFi a standard, integrated feature on laptops worldwide and is considered a key driver of the mobile revolution. Eden most recently led the PC Client Group, Intel's largest product group.

With more than one million computers selling each day, Intel Corporation introduced its game-changing 2nd Generation Intel Core processor family today. Intel highlighted several surprising new features, services and partnerships that combine to deliver an entirely new visual experience with processor graphics built in. More than 500 desktop and laptop PCs are expected from all major OEMs worldwide throughout the next year.

New features include Intel Insider, Intel Quick Sync Video, and a new version of the company's award-winning Intel Wireless Display (WiDi), which now adds 1080p HD and content protection for those wishing to beam premium HD content from their laptop screen to their TV. The company also revealed arrangements with CinemaNow, Dixons Retail plc, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, Image Entertainment, Sonic Solutions, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

Intel Corporation today unveiled its 2010 Intel Core vPro processor family to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes for PCs with greater, more flexible performance, theft prevention and cost savings in a rapidly changing business computing environment. These and several other capabilities are at the heart of many new Intel-based business laptop and desktop computers beginning to roll out from computer manufacturers worldwide.

The Intel Core vPro processors arrive as business computing evolves with the emergence of video, Internet telephony, social networking and other heavyweight applications - in many cases running at the same time - making a computer's performance an even bigger priority.

MSI announces X340 in X-Slim Series. The concept for the bottom framing of the X340 originated from the lightness of the feather as well as its elegance and richness, further freeing our notebook from the traditional grimness.

The most unique features of the X340 has to be that it is only 6 mm at its thinnest, 19.8 mm at its widest, and the entire notebook is only weights 1.3 kilograms added with the battery! Making the X340 the world's lightest and slimmest 13" notebook.

We are barely months into having Centrino 2 laptops at the store, following delays of six weeks with its launch owing to last minute glitches with its integrated graphics (IGP), and Intel has already demonstrated a Nehalem-based mobile computing platform at the ongoing Intel Developer Forum (IDF). This mobile computing platform for now can be loosely called a prelude to the successor of Centrino 2, it is codenamed Calpella.

The platform will be using dual-core and quad-core CPUs codenamed Auburndale and Clarksfield respectively. Intel set-up a Clarksfield validation platform with the mobile Nehalem in situ. The size of the active cooler explains a lot, and that's a quad-core chip we're talking about. It wouldn't be too far sighted telling that by this time, next year high-end laptops will be equipped with an 8-thread-capable Nehalem mobile CPU.

Intel is planning to issue a product discontinuance notice (PDN) for its Napa Refresh platform CPUs including T7600, T7400, T7200, T5600 and T5500 in January next year, while the end of lifecycle (EOL) process will take place in March. Intel has already issued the PDN for its Napa platform CPUs including T2700, T2600, T2500, T2400, T2300 and T2300E this month with EOL set for November this year. Entry-level CPUs, Celeron M 530 and 520, will also receive PDN in January next year and EOL in March, while the M 450, 440 and 430 have also already reached PDN this month with EOL in November. The discontinuance over ten 65nm notebook processors should benefit Intel over production costs while helping to smooth completion of its goal to switch to 45nm process in two years.