Intel has a clever bit of PR (below):

According to the Chinese calendar, 2005 is the year of the Rooster. However, a technology calendar might suggest that it is the year of mobility. In that spirit, Intel proposes 10 mobile resolutions:

1. Be a wireless winner: In honor of National Mobility month, for two weeks beginning Jan. 6, use maps.yahoo.com to find an Intel Centrino mobile technology-verified hotspot and you could win a Sony notebook based on the next-generation Intel Centrino mobile technology platform, codenamed Sonoma. Other prizes include movie downloads from Movielink and music downloads from Musicmatch. Every entrant will receive a free month of games from Yahoo! Games on Demand. To enter, go to www.mobilitymonth.com or maps.yahoo.com and look for the Mobility Month link.

2. Mobilize your home entertainment: In January, Intel will launch the Sonoma platform, enabling mobile entertainment PCs that support accelerated graphics for superb DVD playback and gaming, theater-quality sound for MP3s and TV tuner ExpressCards that will be available soon. Sonoma is based on an updated Pentium M processor, codenamed Dothan, that is made using a 90-nanometer process rather than the 130-nanometer process used to manufacture existing Pentium M chips. Sonoma will include an updated WLAN chipset, codenamed Calexico 2, which offers lower power consumption, an improved software interface and supports the 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g wireless standards. It also includes an updated chipset, codenamed Alvi for multi-channel sound, 2Mbytes of on-chip cache and supports a faster 533MHz front-side bus.

3. Take your laptop on vacation: Record your favorite TV shows with an Intel Pentium 4 processor-based Entertainment PC and take them with you on your notebook. Your notebook also enables you to stay in touch, store and send digital photos, replace weighty travel guides and maintain photographic travelogues on your family Website. A great wireless destination is the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, Jan. 20-30, where you can watch streaming video of the nominees from WiMAX-enabled cafes and lodges.

4. Escape the house often for some relaxing entertainment: Be seen at a Wi-Fi-enabled park, cafe or beach unwinding with a broad-brimmed hat, dark sunglasses and an Intel Centrino mobile technology-based notebook to stay current on Hollywood gossip, fashion and, in particular, the Golden Globes. Get the latest news leading up to the Jan. 16 ceremony as it unfolds with “ET Inside the Golden Globe Awards” on Yahoo!, exclusively sponsored by Intel Centrino mobile technology, at et.tv.yahoo.com/micro/globes2005.

5. Battle bulk: Dieting may be the most common New Year’s resolution, but the truly trendy also will resolve to shed notebook bulk with a slimmer model. Intel Centrino mobile technology enables thin, light notebooks with great battery life and integrated wireless LAN capability.

6. Stay in visual touch: Cameras for videoconferencing are now available for notebooks, enabling videoconferencing with friends and family from more than 56,000 Intel Centrino mobile technology-verified wireless hotspots worldwide.

7. Work smarter, not longer: Whether you are flying cross-country or waiting at soccer practice, laptop mobility enables you to fit work into slices of time that otherwise would go unused, freeing time later for other important activities.

8. Get smarter, have fun: Notebooks are becoming mobile backpacks at all educational levels. Students access information online from wireless hotspots on and off campus, including cafes, libraries and dorms. New laptops based on the Intel Centrino mobile technology to be introduced this month will double as all-in-one entertainment devices, making more space for other dorm room necessities, such as the minifridge and lava lamp.

9. Make a wireless cafe your extended office: Advanced wireless communication combined with an increasing number of hotspots are heating up the coffee culture around the world with people genuinely relaxing on a cafe couch with everything they need to do their jobs on their laptops.

10. Reuse or recycle that old equipment: If you’ve upgraded to an all-in-one laptop that delivers improved graphics and audio features, consider giving your old DVD player or stereo to a charitable organization. Donate old computers to educational organizations or dispose of them through an environmental e-waste organization. Good sources are www.eiae.org and www.intel.com/education/recycling_computers/strut.htm.

Intel, of course, is loosing the public relations campaign that counts — compare Intel’s home page with Apple’s home page. Who would you rather work for or do business with?

U.S. corporations are donating millions of dollars in cash and supplies to victims of the tsunamis along the Indian Ocean, easily eclipsing the initial $35 million in aid earmarked by the U.S. government.

Pfizer is donating $10 million in cash and $25 million worth of drugs to relief agencies; Coca-Cola is donating $10 million; Exxon Mobil Corp., is giving $5 million; and Citigroup Inc., is contributing $3 million. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has also pledged $3 million.

Drug companies Merck & Co. is giving $3 million in cash while Johnson & Johnson and Abbott Laboratories Inc. are each donating $2 million; each of the three are also sending drugs and other health care supplies to the region. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. is donating $1 million in cash and $4 million in antibiotics and antifungal drugs. Roche Group and GlaxoSmithKline PLC were also planning to donate supplies and/or cash. Nike, American Express, General Electric, The Walt Disney Co., and First Data Corp. are each giving $1 million.

Charity Navigator (right), is said to be America’s premiere independent charity evaluator and has tips for choosing a charity. They advise large, reputable organizations who have an international presence and know local officials and needs.

Maybe Intel should resolve to be faster on their feet next year.

Posted by Sam Churchill on Friday, December 31st, 2004 at 1:34 am.