It's been a while since we last heard anything about Intel's first Europe-bound Android phone, the Orange Santa Clara. First seen at Mobile World Congress in February, the phone was actually confirmed by European wireless carrier Orange as the first Intel-powered Android device. Now, nearly four months later, we've got a release date for the device.
Intel and Orange today unveiled the device officially and announced a launch date of June 6, which is next Wednesday. The companies have done away with the Santa Clara codename and are instead going with another U.S. city for the official name of this device. Dubbed the Orange San Diego, the phone boasts Intel's Atom Z2460 processor, a 4.03-inch display, support for HSPA+, A-GPS, Bluetooth 2.1, and an 8-megapixel camera that comes complete with a burst function that takes 10 photos in under a second. The downside? It's running Gingerbread and Orange didn't mention anything about serving up Ice Cream Sandwich in time for the hot summer ahead.
The launch of the San Diego comes just over a month after the launch of the first phone with Intel inside. Intel recently teamed up with Lava International Ltd, a cell phone company in India, to produce the Xolo X900. Launched in April, the X900 features a 1.6GHz Atom Z2460 (AKA Medfield) with Intel Hyper Threading Technology, 400 MHz graphics, a 4-inch 1024 x 600 display, full 1080p HD video encoding and playback, a 1-megapixel camera up front, an 8-megapixel camera in the back, and support for HSPA+ 3G connectivity.
The San Diego will be available on Orange Pay As You Go for £199. No word on whether or not Intel plans to partner with a U.S. carrier to produce a similar device that will be available stateside. In the meantime you can check out a demo of the San Diego below:
