Intel today launched its latest mobile Pentium chip designed for use in high-end desktop replacement laptops.

The Pentium 4M 548 runs at 3.33GHz with 1MB Level 2 cache, and is built around Intel's latest 90nanometre technology. It has 13 new streaming SIMD 3 extensions designed to speed up multimedia processing.

Intel said that notebooks using the processor, which also supports hyper-threading technology, allow users to take advantage of multi-threaded and processor-intensive multimedia applications.

Toshiba has already confirmed that it will be using the new chip in its Satellite range of notebooks, which are designed to have near equivalent performance to modern desktop PCs.

"Our customers are using their notebooks for more than just email or surfing the internet. They're also using them for entertainment purposes," said Taro Hiyama, vice president of marketing at Toshiba's digital products division, in a statement.

"Toshiba designed the new Satellite P35 and M35X series of notebooks to deliver popular wide screen technology to consumers who may not have previously been able to afford it."

The Pentium 4M 548 works with Intel's 852GME and 852PM chipsets. It is available for $262 in wholesale orders of 1,000 units.