Vendors support Centrino

Several PC manufacturers have introduced products that use Intel Corp.'s Centrino mobile technology.

IBM Corp. has begun to offer Centrino in its ThinkPad notebook series, while retaining other wireless solutions. Ron Sperano, IBM's program director for mobile market development, predicted a continued migration to wireless-ready notebooks and an increased interest in Centrino technology.

MPC Computers LLC (formerly MicronPC) made its first foray into the Centrino arena this month with the TransPort T2100 notebook. The company still offers notebooks with Intel Pentium processors, which may be better for users who work with complex graphics, said Jay White, manager of MPC's portable products group. Although Centrino offers longer battery life and wireless connectivity, the technology lacks graphics capabilities, he said.

Other products from manufacturers jumping on the Centrino bandwagon are Gateway Inc.'s 450 series, Sony Corp. of America's Vaio Z1 series and Dell Computer Corp.'s Inspiron 600m.