Back in 2003, a Centrino system came with a single-core Pentium M processor running at something like 1.6Ghz, at least an 802.11b wireless card and an inbuilt graphics card.

Since then, the Centrino platform has been upgraded a couple of times, but the next revision, due within the next three months, is called Santa Rosa, and it’s definitely worth waiting for if you’re on the verge of buying a new laptop/notebook computer.

First up is an update to the dual-core ‘Core 2 Duo’ chip that we’ve all become familiar with, especially since it started thrashing AMD in the dual-core space with better performance and a lower power usage.

The new Core 2 Duo chip has been dubbed as being ‘on steroids’ by Mooly Eden, Intel’s mobility man, who gave a mobility presentation at ‘Day 0’ of the IDF (Intel Developer Forum) conference being held in Beijing (where I am right now, as a guest of Intel).

‘Day 0’ happened yesterday, and was an event for press and analysts, giving a sneak-peek into what would actually happen during the two day IDF conference proper.

The new Core 2 Duo chip will be able to intelligently power down one of the cores if a single threaded application is being used, while simultaneously boosting the power given to the active core to speed up its operation. Eden explained that it’s not ‘overclocking’, which is done by enthusiasts to push a chip beyond its rated speed, but is actually a feature designed by Intel to boost a chip’s power by design. Eden claimed this was very difficult to implement, but with the Santa Rosa platform, Intel was able to achieve it.

The official name Intel are giving this technology is called ‘Enhanced Dynamic Acceleration Technology’, and is a great development that shows Moore’s Law is still well in action. Indeed, Eden explained that while quad and eight-core processors are currently mainly used in servers and by demanding gamers, quad core technology should be fully mainstream in the 2009 to 2010 timeframe.

Other advances for the Santa Rosa platform include the latest Draft-N 802.11n wireless technology, while naturally supporting 802.11 a/b/g as well. When questioned by a fellow journalist about the fact that 802.11n technology is still in draft mode, as the spec still hasn’t been fully ratified and won’t be for some time yet, Eden explained that it was simply time to get the technology out there, as the current draft spec was being embraced by the industry and people wanted it. It is technology also needed to ensure that high-definition video can be streamed over wireless, and while there were no firm promises that the 802.11 Draft-N cards would be compatible with the final spec, it is assumed that the technology in its current form is indeed compatible, perhaps requiring a new driver.

Please read onto page 2 for the conclusion, with more including 3.5G, WiMAX, Turbo Memory, DirectX10 and more on Santa Rosa.