Intel’s announcements will come just before the start of the enormous Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, which has replaced and superseded the now-dead Comdex as the show of choice for the industry. As reported in the San Jose Mercury News, the changes “will allow Intel to be better recognized for our contributions, establish a stronger emotional connection with our audiences and strengthen our overall position in the marketplace,'' according to Eric Kim, Intel's chief marketing officer.

The Mercury News also noted that “the company is removing the familiar dropped "e'' from its logo, which has been little changed since the company was founded in 1968 by Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce. And like the recently revamped AT&T Inc. logo, the letters that make up ``Intel'' appear in lower case.”

The Pentium brand will evolve into the “Core” brand, and Pentium is expected to join the museum ranks alongside Intel’s earlier x86 branding. The Mercury News also reported that the company’s new logo will have at its tag line, ``Leap ahead,'' described by Kim as "a simple expression that declares who we are and what we do.''

Intel will display its consumer-oriented “Viiv” technology at CES as it strives to address “the way people view entertainment and share information…as increasingly digital content is delivered on-demand through the Internet,” according to company information. “Intel will show its most advanced consumer-related technologies and platforms along with a wide range of digital movies, TV, music, games and photographs that are arriving on Intel-based PCs, laptops and hand-held devices” at CES, the company said.

Intel describes Viiv as the company’s “best branded platform technology for the digital home, designed to enhance how consumers enjoy, manage and share digital entertainment in the home and on the go.”

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