June Centrino

[Bloodstein]

I've been hearing lots of rumours on intel introducing new centrino models in june. HAs anyone heard any maker planning on realeasing laptops with these new chips in June? Cuz i wanna get a laptop. And a centrino. But i'm thinking maybe I should wait a month...

 

[Yozza]

Well, 1.7GHz Pentium-M was released in the first days of this month. They should be showing up in OEMs soon, along with the associated price cuts for the lesser speeds.

 

[w0rmh0l3]

I think waiting right now would be a very good idea. Not only could the "June" centrinos be coming out, but the newer graphics chipsets as well (mobile radeon 9600, etc.) are starting to emerge (see Toshiba's new satellites, for example.) Personally I'm waiting for Dell or Alienware to release a new model with both of them..

 

[ceo2b]

I'd really like to purchase a Centrino in the next few months, but I'm apprhensive because an article I read. It seems like production for the a/b/g wireless component will not hit the market until early 2004. I'm thinking should one even bother buying a lappy compatible with b, g, or b/g when the combo will be available early next year. I'd hate to wait that long and I'd even hate more to pay the higher price because it just hit the market. Dunno. To bad upgrading lappys was not easier.

 

[Yozza]

Intel's Pro/Wireless solutions that make up the 3-piece Centrino(tm) isn't very special at all. They will release an 802.11a compatible solution later this year, and you'll have to wait a long while until 2004 for the 802.11g solution.

There are better options available now. Broadcom mini-PCI cards currently support b/g or a/b/g, and are available in various guises, such as the Dell TrueMobile 1300 or 1400, respectively. In addition, the Broadcom solution offers much greater range than Intel's Pro/Wireless in 802.11b mode, not to mention the issues Intel is having with interoperability with various VPN concentrators/endpoints.

You lose the Centrino(tm) label by going non-Intel for the wireless solution, but current .11a/g options are much more attractive than Intel's own Pro/Wireless solution.

 

[ceo2b]

Thanks for that information. I'd love to get that Broadcom mini-PCI a/b/g on the Toshiba Tecra M1. I'm going to have to do some more reseach on this.

 

[Yozza]

There's a tutorial HERE how to replace an existing mini-PCI WiFi card in a Compaq Tablet PC with an 802.11g card ripped from a Linksys wireless router/AP.

I'm not sure if Toshiba offers the BCM94306 802.11g platform for the M1 as a factory option, but if it does, of course that would be easier than replacing/upgrading oneself

 

[Bloodstein]

Guys, guys....we're going off topic here...

The intention of this thread wuz to pool together everyone's expectations on the developments in the laptop market (more precisely "Centrino" market) so we can all make better judgements when it comes to purchasing a centrino laptop.

As for the wireless standards intel is adopting for it's laptops....i personally think that ain't even an issue. Just purchase a third party card. Intel is much too slow relative to the rest of the industry...

 

[Bloodstein]

?

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: w0rmh0l3
I think waiting right now would be a very good idea. Not only could the "June" centrinos be coming out, but the newer graphics chipsets as well (mobile radeon 9600, etc.) are starting to emerge (see Toshiba's new satellites, for example.) Personally I'm waiting for Dell or Alienware to release a new model with both of them..

Just to let you know, a company called Sager makes Alienware's lappies. They can be had cheap at http://www.pctorque.com.