Intel Unveils Latest vPro CPUs

Intel rolled out the second generation of its Core vPro processor line on Monday, adding new encryption and identity protection features as well as enhanced performance.

Among the additions is Intel's (NASDAQ: INTC) Anti-Theft Technology version 3.0 (AT 3.0), which lets a lost computer receive a so-called "poison pill" to disable the device with an encrypted SMS message using 3G cellular technology. The security features are available on all Intel Core and Core vPro CPUs, the company said.

The poison pill can be sent within a few seconds after a lost or stolen computer connects to the Internet. Earlier versions of AT could only disable the device, while AT 3 lets the administrator re-activate a disabled computer once it's been recovered.

A new location function also enables laptops with certain GPS modems to communicate their location if they go missing. In addition, if a computer is in standby mode when it is taken, it can require an encryption password in addition to the normal sign-on mechanisms.

Meanwhile, Intel said its new Identity Protection Technology (IPT) will provide anti-phishing technologies meant to block access to secure sites by generating a new six-digit numerical password every 30 seconds.

The chip giant also touted increased performance from the vPro technologies.

For instance, a second-generation Intel Core vPro i5 processor can speed up business applications by 60 percent, multitasking by 100 percent and data encryption 300 percent, according to Intel.

"This kind performance equates to enormous promise for the PC, for example, as the 'hub' for the varied combination of tablets, smart phones, netbooks and operating systems filling our pockets and briefcases," Rick Echevarria, vice president of Intel's Architecture Group, said in a statement.

Intel also claimed that several PC OEMs, notably Dell, Fujitsu, HP and Lenovo, will be bringing out "new laptop, convertible-tablet, desktop and all-in-one PCs for businesses" built on the Core vPro processors.

The second generation vPro processors include Intel's Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, which will enable processor speeds above their rated frequencies when needed for compute-intensive tasks such as image manipulation and scientific simulations, governed by analysis of temperature and power consumption.

Intel also said that it will "soon" release a Xeon E3-1200 low-cost workstation platform built on the vPro technologies, though no date was given.

"It is the first entry-level workstation platform to integrate professional-level graphics onto the processor, enabling visual and 3-D graphics capabilities previously only available with separate graphics cards," Intel said.

Stuart J. Johnston is a contributing writer at InternetNews.com, the news service of Internet.com, the network for technology professionals. Follow him on Twitter @stuartj1000.