Intel's Atom Processor

It’s all about the mobile these days, and when you want to develop a processor for gadgets that fit in your pocket, you’ve got to think smart.

So far, ARM-based processors have been the powerhouse of choice for smart phones and PDAs, but if Intel has its way, the universal language of x86 is set to be spoken in your pocket, too. Intel’s new Atom processor is built with the world’s smallest transistors, sports a shiny new design, and has been built specifically to consume very little power. This, of course, means that it can power mobile phones, PDAs, and other “Mobile Internet Devices” (MIDs).

The numbers, if they are to be believed, are astounding: a Thermal Design Power (TDP) that ranges from less than a Watt to a maximum of 2.5 Watts and an idle power consumption of 30 mill watts. And it’ll be really cheap, too. What’s not to love?

Support for the Atom has come in abundance— Acer is expected to show off an Atom-based, ultra-low- cost laptop (though this might be a relative term) sometime in June this year around the same time, it’s expected that ASUS will release an updated Eee PC, also based on the Atom.

Japanese handset firm Willcom Inc has already released the world’s first Atom-based mobile phone— the D4. What really puts a feather in Intel’s cap is that this little phone runs—wait for it—Vista! Start saving up—it won’t be long before you’ll lay your eyes on the next generation of smart phones!