Intel’s latest and most powerful Atom microprocessor is being put to the test as Japanese telco Wilcom said it will soon be selling the Sharp D4, the world’s first ultra mobile device of its kind that will use the Atom’s power to run the Vista operating system
This Sharp powered device is a Qwerty handset with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a 5-inch touchscreen and will be available in Japan from June 2008. As of yet, no plans for release in Europe or the US have been announced.
Running on Windows Vista Home Premium, it will also have the Microsoft Office Personal 2007 software package.
Current smart phones and PDAs using the Windows operating system run on Windows Mobile 6.1.
The Intel Centrino Atom is the company’s smallest chip and is designed for mobile and converged computing, and the Wilcom D4 device marks the first in a generation of Atom powered devices designed to do this.
“A device that has the performance of a PC and the simplicity of the iPhone? That is the promise of Centrino Atom,” said Uday Keshavdas, senior marketing manager with Intel’s Ultra Mobility Group on the firm’s official blog.
Other devices running on the Atom include Gigabyte’s M528 MID (Mobile Internet Device), which is still in the prototype stage.
By Marie Boran
