Intel previews Atom 2 Pineview chip and Moblin software for netbooks

By Matthew Broersma on 20 May 2009, 5:21pm

Intel has given the first preview of its next-generation Atom chip, with a more integrated design intended to improve performance and energy efficiency.

The company also launched the beta of version 2.0 of the Linux-based Moblin netbook platform, with a new interface.

The upcoming Atom chip, code-named 'Pineview', incorporates the memory controller and graphics chip onto the same silicon as the processor, a more efficient design that should lower costs for system builders, lower energy consumption and improve performance, Intel said.

In current Atom-based systems, the memory controller and graphics circuitry are on a separate chip, as are the input-output (I/O) functions, for a total of three chips. The platform of which Pineview is a part, called 'Pine Trail', reduces the total number of chips from three to two.

The Pineview chip can rely on its own integrated graphics or work with third-party graphics chips such as Nvidia's Ion.

Pine Trail is scheduled to be available in the fourth quarter of this year.

Atom currently powers the majority of netbooks, the fastest-growing segment of the PC market. Nearly one-fifth of all laptops shipped in the first quarter of 2009 were netbooks, according to DisplaySearch.

The first beta version of Moblin 2.0 brings in a new user interface called the M-zone, or "My Zone". This replaces the standard desktop with a tab-based display that provides direct access to email, instant messaging and social-networking sites such as Facebook.

Moblin also now allows computer makers to customise the software's look and feel, said Intel, which handed over stewardship of the platform's development to the Linux Foundation in April. The open-source software platform is specifically tailored for use on Intel Atoms.

The beta test version of Moblin 2.0 is available immediately and can be downloaded from the Moblin website.