Smartphones vs. Mobile Internet Devices

[Charlyee]

Smartphones vs. Mobile Internet Devices
By Brad Smith
WirelessWeek - May 01, 2008

Intel’s new Atom strategy pits it against traditional smartphones
built on technology from ARM Holdings.

Two years ago, it may have seemed that Intel had given up on its hopes of making a big splash in wireless handsets. Not so.

Intel may have sold its former communications and application processor group and XScale technology to Marvel Technology in 2006, but it still had its eyes on the handset prize. It just wanted to do it a different way.


Nokia’s N810 uses ARM products and will be
available later this year through Sprint’s Xohm.
The company is getting back into wireless devices, but coming at it from a different direction. It wants to enter the smartphone market from the top down, so to speak, by using the architecture it uses in its chips for laptops and desktops.

Intel’s new strategy, announced this year with a Centrino Atom family of chipsets, is further evidence of a blurring of the traditional computing and mobile phone worlds. There is one constant in wireless handsets, though, and that is power consumption. Battery technology hasn’t changed that much, so device manufacturers and semiconductor companies have to keep power consumption as low as possible.

More:

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by Charlyee Smartphones vs. Mobile Internet Devices By Brad Smith WirelessWeek - May 01, 2008 Intel’s new Atom strategy pits it against traditional smartphones built on technology from ARM Holdings. Two years ago, it may have seemed that Intel had given up on its hopes of making a big splash in wireless handsets. Not so. Intel may have sold its former communications and application processor group and XScale technology to Marvel Technology in 2006, but it still had its eyes on the handset prize. It just wanted to do it a different way. Nokia’s N810 uses ARM products and will be available later this year through Sprint’s Xohm. The company is getting back into wireless devices, but coming at it from a different direction. It wants to enter the smartphone market from the top down, so to speak, by using the architecture it uses in its chips for laptops and desktops. Intel’s new strategy, announced this year with a Centrino Atom family of chipsets, is further evidence of a blurring of the traditional computing and mobile phone worlds. There is one constant in wireless handsets, though, and that is power consumption. Battery technology hasn’t changed that much, so device manufacturers and semiconductor companies have to keep power consumption as low as possible. More:

Something must have changed over the years. My Tilt, with its huge screen and 3G data lasts a lot longer on a charge than my old Motorola V551's or V3's did.

-Jay

[Mobile Mike]

Interesting...I'm on the side of smartphones myself.