Lava XOLO X900, the Intel-powered smartphone goes on sale

The first smartphone powered by an Intel processor is going on sale in India starting today. The availability of Lava XOLO X900 marks the beginning of a new era in mobile computing as Intel joins the smartphone chip-space, traditionally dominated by ARM processors.

Lava smartphone launch might be a baby step for Intel, but the company has also announced tie-ups with Lenovo, Motorola and European telecom operator Orange to release Intel-powered smartphones. Lenovo is expected to start the sales of K900, another Intel-powered phone in China next month, while Orange may ship Santa Clara with Atom processor in June. Motorola is yet to officially announce any devices with Intel chips at core.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini recently stated while discussing company's financial results that it may take time to establish a meaningful presence but the smartphone market is big enough for Intel to find a place in it.

XOLO X900 from Indian manufacturer Lava is available online at XOLO.in as well as in Croma lifestyle stores for Rs. 22,000. In addition to Intel, this launch is also significant for Lava, as the company is jumping in more lucrative smartphone market after battling in the feature phones arena.

Lava XOLO X900 runs on slighted dated Android 2.3 'Gingerbread' and comes with 4.03-inch 1024x600p display, and an Intel Z2460 single-core chip clocked at 1.6Ghz. It also features Near Field Communication hardware, two cameras as well as 16GB of internal storage. The company has already promised to provide an update to Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android in early-next quarter, which will be pushed over-the-air.