IDF Intel's next-but-one generation of Centrino will be codenamed 'Calpella' - after the California town, presumably - Mobility Group General Manager Dadi Perlmutter said today.

Surprisingly - at least given Intel's record on introducing future laptop platforms; 'Montevina', due next month, was first named in public more than a year and a half ago - he didn't say much else about it, beyond promising more of the same: a faster processor, lower power consumption, superior graphics, better wireless connectivity and tougher security.

Perlmutter implied - though he didn't state - that Calpella will debut a year on from Montevina in that mid-Q2 slot Intel has used for Centrino revamps for the past three generations. Officially, Calpella's simply scheduled for some time in 2009.

Calpella will comprise a mobile 45nm 'Nehalem' processor, Intel's upcoming 45nm CPU design that features HyperThreading technology, Perlmutter said, but no further details were revealed.

Intel has talked about Nehalem being its first CPU family to incorporate a GPU - it already has a built-in DDR 3 memory controller - and suggested that the first versions to do so will be mobile processors, where GPU integration makes sense for power conservation reasons.

However, the Intel executive showed off clever power management technology that allows a laptop's wireless radio to adjust its power requirements depending on what it's actually being utilised for, as opposed to simply powering down when it's not being used at all.

As an example, Perlmutter demo'd the technology with video streaming. When the video's coming through, the Wi-Fi adaptor can operate on receive only, allowing the transmitter to be put to sleep, preserving power.