Intel: Fast, Cool Chips Ahead

Plus: Spammers go to jail, and Laptops get LED backlights.

Contact PC World Senior Editor Eric Dahl and read additional Plugged In columns.

Eric Dahl

Intel's 45nm Step

The Buzz: While AMD prepares its next set of processors--a multicore design code-named Barcelona and due this summer--Intel has already demonstrated samples of its more-advanced Penryn chip. It's manufactured in a 45nm process that uses hafnium-based high-k dielectric and metal gates to decrease current leakage--and yield faster, more energy-efficient chips. The new materials help combat problems that manufacturers start to run into as chips shrink. Intel's 45nm manufacturing process should be the first to mass-produce CPUs using these innovations. Penryn slightly refreshes the Core 2 Duo design with additional cache memory and new SSE4 instructions, and should ship in the second half of the year. AMD and IBM plan to introduce a similar manufacturing process when they transition to 45nm chips next year.

Bottom Line: Intel has built a nice performance lead with its Core 2 Duo chips. With Penryn waiting in the wings and AMD's Athlon CPUs stuck for a while on a 65nm process, Barcelona had better be one heck of a chip.

Suing Spammers

The Buzz: While your inbox continues to overflow with phishing attempts and Viagra offers, take solace in the fact that some spammers finally have to face the music--and possible jail time. Jeffrey Goodin, a phisher who targeted AOL users, was the first to be convicted under the CAN-SPAM Act and faces up to 101 years in prison. And online heavyweight MySpace is embarking on its own antispam battle. It is suing Scott Richter, a once-notorious spammer who settled a high-profile suit with Microsoft and New York state in 2004. MySpace claims that Richter sent millions of unsolicited bulletins to its users.

Bottom Line: If only this progress led to an actual reduction in spam. Unfortunately, sending spam (and running the phishing sites that profit from it--see "Phishing Sites Explode on the Web") is still a low-cost business with the potential for great rewards. Until people find a way to change that, you'd best sharpen your spam filters.

LED in Your Laptop

The Buzz: Yet another reason to be excited about this summer's crop of notebooks: New high-end and thin-and-light models should begin to include displays with LED backlights, a technology we've been tracking for a while now. Compared with traditional CCFL backlights, LEDs are thinner, reproduce more of the color spectrum, and use less power, leading to better-looking laptops with more battery life. Sony already puts LED backlights in its VAIO SZ series; rumor has it, Apple and HP will jump on the bandwagon this summer.

Bottom Line: The first LED-backlit models will carry a price premium, though nothing like a $4000 LED-backlit unit that we tested a couple of years ago. We're talking closer to $100 here. Not bad.

Super Camera Sensor

If you've been to a concert recently, you've probably noticed how the glow of camera phones has replaced that of held-aloft lighters. Not that any of those low-light pictures end up looking halfway decent. Well, Planet82, a Korean firm, aims to change that, with an image sensor that's capable of taking clear photos in dim light without a flash. Unlike the CCD or CMOS sensor that you find in most cameras, Planet82's Single-Carrier Modulation Photo Detector (SMPD) sensor can react to much lower light levels. A black-and-white sensor for cars and security cameras is set for this year; a full-color model should debut in 2008.

Here\Now

Goodstorm: Site has a cool interface for designing custom T-shirts.

Shuttle SDXi: Shuttle packs a water-cooled gaming PC into its compact XPC 1337 boxes.

Streaming: Stream songs from your home and share them with your friends through Avvenu's beta Music Player.

GooSync: Free service can sync your Google Calendar with a mobile phone or a PDA.

Apple TV: Living-room media streamer with an Apple interface. A 40GB model goes for $299.