Intel has set its sights on the burgeoning markets for handheld computers, smart phones and TV set-top boxes with the release of a new StrongArm microprocessor.
The chip is part of the StrongArm family that Intel acquired from the former Digital Equipment. in 1997 as part of a patent lawsuit settlement with the company.
Intel said the SA-1110 will help lower the cost and improve graphics and other features in palm-size PCs like those that run Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, as well as smart phones that combine e-mail and basic Web browsing with traditional call functions.
The chip should also improve software-based communications, and speech and handwriting recognition, said Intel, better known for the Pentium processor family it offers for desktop PCs and servers.
The SA-1110, which boosts the core speed of its predecessor and improves memory bandwidth by a factor of two, is also aimed at traditional embedded applications like network switches and remote access products.
Samples of the Intel SA-1110 processor will be available in June, while samples of a companion chip, the SA-1111, will be available in July. Production of both products is scheduled for the end of the third quarter.
In quantities of 10,000, the SA-1110 processor at 206MHz is priced at US$28, and the SA-1111 companion chip is priced at $15, Intel said.
Intel, in Santa Clara, California, can be reached at +1-408-987-8080 or at http://www.intel.com/.