Intel 's first prototype phones and tablets based on its Medfield low-power chip and running on Google's Android operating system are expcted to appear at CES 2012.
Intel is trying to persuade manufacturers to build their handsets around Intel's new mobile chips, challenging mobile devices that use chips based on ARM architecture.
MIT's Technology Review web site posted an image of a prototype smart phone equipped with Intel's latest mobile chip.
"We expect products based on these to be announced in the first half of 2012," said Stephen Smith, vice president of Intel's architecture group.
Smith hinted that the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in January could bring news of gadgets in which Intel's chips will appear.
Intel's 32nm Medfield chip is the latest in its "Atom" line and represents a significant technological step toward lower power consumption, according to Intel. Medfield is actually an all-in-one design, known as a system on-a-chip (SoC), in which Intel has finally combined the core functions of its processor designs into one chunk of silicon."
The phone prototype presented to Technology Review was similar in dimensions to the iPhone 4 but lighter, probably because the case was made with more plastic and less glass and metal. It was running the version of Google's operating system shipping with most Android phones today, known as Gingerbread.
The phone was powerful enough to play Blu-Ray-quality video and stream it to a TV if desired. Smith said that Intel has built circuits into the Medfield chip specifically to speed up Android apps and Web browsing.
