News Intel partners with Google for Atom smartphones

Intel has announced a development partnership with Google to optimise Android for x86-based Atom smartphones.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2011/09/14/intel-partners-with-google-for-atom-smartph/1

 

Android on x86 and Windows on ARM?
The world's going mad!

 

Haha! Didn't even think of that.

I think it's got to be good news though. Yeah, the atoms are crap for netbooks running Windows, but for a smartphone, could be the way forward.

 

Harsh, but fair....

 

I thought x86 used a lot more power than ARM. Given that mobile phone battery life isn't huge if you hammer the CPU anyway, using an Atom would shorten the battery life even more. Unlesss Intel pull some power saving miracle out of the bag, I'll be staying well clear.
I think Intel are just desperate to get themselves into this huge market even though they don't really have a product speciffically designed for it. Re-polishing a turd probably won't help them. Sure, smaller manufacturing processes will help, but a purpose built design would be the best solution

 

Why emphasize new features... Smartphones mainly need to offer their current features longer.

If you don't accept sacrificing processing power for low energy use in a netbook, why would you accept it in a phone?
Netbooks do what they should, give you browsing and light work capability for many hours.
Want to crunch data, multithread and play crysis? Don't complain about the netbook, complain about your buying the wrong machine for the task.

 

Excellent points, well made.

 

It's going to be interesting to see what is the fate of the Android X86 project after this decision.

 

-Please Delete-

 

Remember that article from yesterday about that Intel chip running Windows with the power collected by a solar cell the size of a postage stamp?

Intel is clearly making progress towards making low power chips more efficient. They could be redesigning the Atom name with newer technologies from that research.

 

Intel have announced sub 10W TDP Atoms with virtualisation, 64bit and ECC support for use in server clusters due 2012 (source) so I think an Atom redesign is confirmed. If they have that capability for a server orientated chip I'm definitely interested to see what the smart phone optimised version will be like!

 

Google should look at AMD fusions options, much better over that of Intels Atoms.

 

If intel get the low power/budget CPUs sorted then amd will be in trouble

 

I love me some AMD, and even I think you're being silly (just the same, Atom can suck it - Fusion Cheesecake!) AMD is not nearly in a place to put out a competitive proc for mobile phones. Is AMD maybe focusing on the wrong market? It's possible, but I don't see them trying to move in the direction of mobile now. They're maybe getting back on their feet after Intel put them on their ass in '06 with the Core arch. AMD needs to stay focused on the task at hand - server and consumer processors. Let them get competitive again, and the CPU side of the business making money again, then maybe look at mobile.

Intel, otoh, is being silly too, I think. Really? Atom for mobile? Are they feeling stupid for selling of XScale, and too proud to buy a damn ARM license already? Plus, Otellini apparently isn't entirely aware of what they want to run - "Android's phone software" Who's software, Paul? All the sunshine Gootel is blowing around now is lovely, but we'll see what really comes of it. If the fluff piece yesterday about Haswell is right, they might be able to get the power down on x86 enough to make it practical. Of course, by that point, no one will give two f*cks about being able to run x86 on a phone - ARM will be so deeply entrenched that the dream of easy portability for native x86 applications won't be nearly as relevant. That's been the big thing - it's a pain to port code from x86 to ARM. By the time this actually happens, we're talking years in - everyone who gave half a crap already ported their code.

I think Intel might be starting down the road of some stupid missteps - burning desire to use x86 in phones, their retarded 'Ultrabook' initiative. Hopefully they'll get knocked down a peg or two (if only to make us beat-down AMD fans feel a little better.)

 

Could you imagine the power savings if Intel made an ARM chip using their 22nm process?
There's nothing to stop that, other than Intel's pride. It wouldn't cost them that much for a license.

 

The architecture of the Intel Architecture?