Intel Has Android ICS Running on Smartphones, Tablets
An article published by PC World indicates that Intel-based Android tablets and smartphones could become available sometime in 2012.
PC World quoted Alec Gefrides, head of the Google Program Office at Intel, stating that Medfield may be combined with Android versions 2.3, 3.x and 4.0. According to Gefrides, Intel is offering Medfield drivers to smartphone and tablet makers at this time. Intel continues to work with Google to make sure Android runs well on its processors.
Intel has been trying to prep its Atom processors since mid-2008, when the company told us that it would not mind if Apple would choose its Atom processor as a future CPU for its phones. However, the company has been struggling to gain support among device makers and has yet to announce a major vendor that is willing to use Intel processors for smartphones. The collaboration with Google is critical for Intel to show credibility as a foundation for possible design wins in the future.
Last week, the developers of the Android-x86 project announced that they succeeded in getting Android 4 to run on AMD's Brazos platform and that they were still working to achieve the same result on Intel chips. Developer Chih-Wei Huang told PC World that Intel ignores their requests for support. Gefrides commented on the note that his company "has to focus resources on building products, not experiments."
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Douglas Perry was a freelance writer for Tom's Hardware covering semiconductors, storage technology, quantum computing, and processor power delivery. He has authored several books and is currently an editor for The Oregonian/OregonLive.
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digiex Intel Processor running Android, ARM Processors running Windows 8.Reply
The world had turned upside down. -
memadmax This reminds me of the heady days of Intel and Mac clones like Cyrix and PowerMac...Reply
Only this is on a larger scale lol -
chomlee I had been under the impression that the power/performance for the arm architechture is factors of 10 above the x86 architechure because it is much newer from the ground up. I don't understand how an x86 architecture could compete. Heck, my iphone 4s graphics are better than most onboard chip desktop graphics, and the new tegra 3 graphics chip is aparently even better. Anyhow, it will be interesting to see how this pans out especially since all mobile OS are made with an ARM architecture in mind.Reply -
Parsian digiexIntel Processor running Android, ARM Processors running Windows 8.The world had turned upside down.Reply
more like an orgy party.
I am actually excited that means Intel's solution is efficient enough to meet the phone market. However, i wonder how it would compare when it comes media acceleration and games in comparison to Tegra 3. -
n-dru And the title is relevant... how?Reply
More like "Intel Tries to get Android ICS Running on Smartphones, Tablets"... -
GreaseMonkey_62 I think the competition will be great to see, but I for one plan to avoid Atom powered phones and tablets. I'm hoping (though I know it's not likely) that AMD will build and ARM version of their Fusion processors. Now that would make a killer device.Reply -
dalethepcman leeashtonArm will NEVER be more powerful than x86 not just the power of X86 but the instruction set ALONE will mean ARM will never be more powerful than x86Trying to compare X86 to Arm instruction sets in relation to speed is like trying to compare Pearl to C in relation to speed. They are completely different languages. Yes they can both achieve the same things, but each has their own strength's and weaknesses.Reply -
eddieroolz If Intel can deliver a product that can out-game the Tegra and out-live the ARM processors on a single charge, then sure.Reply