AMD has countered Intel and its latest Mobile Pentium III offering with SpeedStep technology with its new mobile 550MHz and 533MHz K6-2+ processors that sport new PowerNow! technology. While the AMD based mobile speeds are nowhere near Intel�s, AMD has stepped up to offer its own power-saving features that it claims can substantially extend the battery life of notebooks by up to 30%. Hewlett Packard is the first major OEM to announce notebooks based around these new processors. PowerNow! technology requires specific BIOS support and works by offering three basic modes of operation; High Performance Mode (the CPU runs at maximum frequency and voltage), Battery Saver Mode (the CPU runs at the lowest frequency and voltage to maximum battery life), and Automatic Mode (the system monitors application usage and varies the operating frequency and voltage accordingly). The three modes are set via the Windows Control Panel. These new chips will be priced (in 1,000-unit quantities) at $99 for the 550MHz Mobile AMD K6-2+ and $85 for the 533MHz.