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Intel has officially announced a new chip for smartphones today. The Intel PXA800F cellular processor has been designed to run smartphones and handhelds that use GSM/GPRS wireless networks. It combines a processor core, a digital signal processor (DSP), and memory into a single chip. This will allow designers to create devices that are smaller and use less power.

The PXA800F features a processor running at 312 MHz based on Intel's XScale technology with 4 MB of integrated flash memory and 512 KB of SRAM. In addition, it includes a 104 MHz DSP using the Intel MicroSignal architecture with 512 KB of integrated flash memory and 64 KB of SRAM, resulting in a complete system on a single chip for advanced GSM/GPRS cellular networks.

It supports a wide range of standard interfaces, like SIM, USB, MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital Card, Sony Memory Stick. It also has interfaces for Bluetooth, IrDA, GPS and digital camera peripherals.

Its built-in LCD Controller supports a maximum resolution of 120 by 240 pixels, which might limit its use in handhelds. The display can 16-bit color or grayscale.

This processor was originally codenamed Manitoba. It is sampling today with production volumes expected in the third quarter of the year.

The Competition

While Intel owns a significant share of the desktop market, its chips are little used in handsets and smartphones. Intel has released the PXA800F in an attempt to capture a more significant share.

However, the PXA800F will face competition from Texas Instrument's OMAP chips, which have also been designed for smartphones. In fact, OMAP chips are at the heart of all the devices currently available running Microsoft's Smartphone 2002 operating system.

Earlier this week TI announced it was developing a new generation of OMAP processors which will offer improved multimedia performance.

Thanks to Mike Callahan and willem for their help with this article.

Related Links

• TI Introduces New Processors for Handhelds