14 DAY TRIAL // Santa Clara, California-based Intel and LG Electronics have just announced a collaboration meant to enable Intel's next-generation Mobile Internet Device (MID) platform, codenamed “Moorestown,” on an upcoming LG device, which will also incorporate the Linux-based Moblin v2.0 software platform. According to a recent press release, said LG device is expected to be the first of its kind, delivering the Moorestown platform to the general consumer market.
“LG Electronics makes some of the most innovative computers and smart phones in the world, and is known to be a leading-edge player in every market segment they serve,” said Anand Chandrasekher, Intel Corporation senior vice president and general manager of the company’s Ultra Mobility Group. “We look forward to providing them some fantastic Intel products that will deliver the best Internet experience while dramatically reducing power –contributing to the development of ultra sleek devices that offer superb battery life.”
Intel and LG Electronics have been collaborating for some time now, as LG is known for its portfolio of Intel-based portable computer systems. Also, LG is one of the system vendors that have joined the netbook market with a portable system that is based on Intel's Atom processor, launched in the fourth quarter of 2008. The most recent collaboration is meant to take things a bit further and deliver a product that is expected to benefit from a level of popularity similar to that of netbooks, which in the past year have taken the market by storm.
According to leading chip maker Intel, the Moorestown platform is based on a System on Chip (codenamed Lincroft) that is made out of a 45nm Intel Atom processor core, graphics, video and memory controller. The platform is also designed to incorporate an input/output hub, codenamed “Langwell,” which will provide a range of I/O blocks and supports wireless solutions. The platform is specifically designed to reduce idle power consumption by more than 10 times that of Intel's current Atom-based MIDs.
Intel has mentioned that the “Moorestown” platform is expected to come to market by 2010, by which time LG's device will also be made available. With the news, Intel will basically compete in a market that until now has been dominated by cell phone silicon suppliers like Qualcomm and Texas Instruments.