Intel bets on smartphones, ties up with Lava

Global chip giant Intel is betting big on smartphones include tying up with manufacturers like Indian handset maker Lava and Chinese equipment maker ZTE. Synonymous with computers, Intel is now looking at strengthening its presence in the mobile telephony space.

"We are very pleased to add new, important customers and capabilities to our phone offerings today. We remain focused on delivering exciting new features and outstanding performance to smartphone customers around the world," Intel Corporation President and CEO Paul Otellini said at the Mobile World Congress. Its partnership with Indian handset maker Lava International will see the firms collaborating to launch XOLO X900, which will be India's first smartphone with an Intel Atom processor inside.

The handset is expected to hit retail shelves in India early in the second quarter this year and will support all major 2G and 3G networks. "We are proud to partner with Intel on XOLO to bring a superior smartphone computing experience to customers in India," Lava International Co-founder and Director Vishal Sehgal said. The XOLO X900 would be powered by 1.6 Ghz processor and come equipped with a 4.03-inch high-resolution LCD touch screen. Apart from delivering web browsing and multitasking experience, the handset would also feature two cameras for advanced imaging and video capabilities.

Similar to its previously announced partnership with Motorola Mobility, Intel also announced a multi-year mobile device collaboration across smartphones and tablets with global handset maker ZTE. The first Intel-powered mobile device from ZTE stable is scheduled to debut in the second half of 2012. With ZTE and Lava on board, Intel will have a foothold in two of the world's biggest telecom markets. France Telecom's mobile unit Orange will launch a smartphone in France and the United Kingdom this summer designed by Intel and using its newest processor.

Intel has been trying to establish itself in the growing mobile handset market and wooing smartphone makers to use its processor architecture. Today, a major chunk of the smartphones and tablets have ARM-based chipsets.

Apart from the handset makers, Intel has also partnered with Visa to develop mobile commerce solutions tailored to consumers in developed and developing countries. Besides, Intel also unveiled a trio of new Atom chips to fill out its mobile-centric product portfolio. Extending the performance and energy efficiency of the Intel Atom processor Z2460, formerly codenamed "Medfield," Intel announced that the platform will now support speeds up to 2GHz.