Intel making 'important announcement' today -- a Nokia netbook / MID?

Possible big news on the way later today. According to Bloomberg, Intel's very own Mr. MID, Anand Chandrasekher, will announce Nokia as a new customer of its mobile processors. This is important because Nokia is a long time friend of ARM and Intel by its own admission can't currently compete with ARM when it comes to the ultra-low power consumption requirements of smartphones. So whatever Nokia's got cooking will presumably be running on Intel's upcoming Moorestown MID platform or its ultra-low power Medfield silicon targeting mainstream smartphones in 2011. On the other hand, Nokia's CEO already expressed interest in entering the laptop race with Intel or the ARM-based Snapdragon rumored to be at the core. But if this announcement results in yet another Atom-based netbook, well, good luck with that Nokia.

[Via IntoMobile]

[Mike @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:37AM]

Please.. God.. Make it not run Symbian...

[Atanas Boev @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:46AM]

agree.

[bigcow05 @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:18AM]

Maybe it will run KDE, given Nokia's involvement in Qt?

[john @ Jun 23rd 2009 8:23AM]

KDE? Ick.

Their in house flavor of Linux is Maemo, and it's Gnome based. Lets hope they stick with that.

[Nicholas @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:35AM]

Symbian is based on EPOC. It will be!

[polo @ Jul 8th 2009 7:07PM]

Idiots.

Look at the picture. Its an inter-racial terrorist homo-erotic fist-bump. Obviously Nokia is announcing some kind of new network to facilitate spontaneous vigilante gay public sex. Those rebels.

[iLoveApple @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:38AM]

That is the worst yet best Photoshop I've ever seen.

[GRAMMAR POLICE @ Jun 23rd 2009 8:39AM]

*Microsoft Paint

[slamEVIL @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:06PM]

it's so fail it's win

[B3astofthe3ast @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:38AM]

I still don't understand the point of netbook, they should be concentrating on getting smartphones to netbook power levels, which is going to happen sooner or later, making netbooks worthless anyways.

[Steve Rumsby @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:54AM]

Not everything I need to do on the move works well on a 3" screen. I can do almost everything on a 10" screen. Some things I need to do on the move require more typing than I'd be happy doing on a smartphone keyboard.

Don't get me wrong. My iPhone is a great substitute for a laptop in more situations than I expected. Sometimes, though, I need a bigger screen and/or bigger keyboard. If I could connect a bluetooth keyboard to it, that would help a lot, actually. Until then, my EeePC 1000HE is just perfect...

[Alan Strangis @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:12AM]

Netbooks worthless? They're already cheap as hell!

Seriously though, any prolonged writing on the go is a pain in the ass with any smartphone, including those with really good QWERTY keyboards.

What I don't understand is this rush to the smartbook market. If I'm going to carry around something with a 10" screen, why would I want a smartphone class operating system on it instead of either Windows 7 or Ubuntu.

Part of the appeal of netbooks is making that 'full computer' access available just about anywhere.

[Scarhawk @ Jun 24th 2009 7:33AM]

Netbooks might fall away in the U.S. as people realize the screens are too small, but in developing nations where Nokia sells hundreds of millions of phones a year, they're a huge step up for people who don't have a computer at all.

[Zane @ Jun 23rd 2009 4:46AM]

I so wanna see a quad core Atom powering my next Symbian smartphone with a battery life of 10 minutes..

[Samunosuke Ode @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:03AM]

My guess is that it'll have something to do with Medfield, although I can't see Nokia abandoning ARM in the near future.Any device with Intel hardware will run alongside an ARM one.I like how Nokia is trying to diversify.

[BFish @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:08AM]

Nokia netbook + Symbian = EPIC Fail

[Btdt @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:21AM]

LOL! Why the heck would it be symbian? Their tablets run linux. Maemo is the word.

[iLoveApple @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:18AM]

Agreed. Underpowered hardware with a poor OS and UI is what we've learned to expect from Nokia these days.

[Nicholas @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:37AM]

I believe it is an APOC failure…

[Nicholas @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:37AM]

I believe it is an EPOC failure…

[KIFF @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:18AM]

Series 60 5th Edition in a MID format with 800x480 resolution please.

[iLoveApple @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:24AM]

You're a masochist.

[KIFF @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:28AM]

You are a sad boy.

[7710user @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:23AM]

Release firmware for N97 was really a big joke, ha ha.. here's the real one, april fools! X86 Maemo would be interesting, but not entirely useful at the moment..

[peltsi @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:25AM]

why would it be running symbian?

the n900 leaked specs were disappointing for many maemo-community members. and official sources suggested that it was the low end model and there will be a flagship-model too running maemo5.

[ratchetnclank @ Jun 23rd 2009 5:34AM]

Good shopping blurry black box around the nokia logo on the frame and what looks like a 20x20 pixel logo stretched to fit the screen.

Engadget needs new photoshop skills.

[Beastage @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:49AM]

Maybe they should take lessons from the Iranians... oh wait...

[sam @ Jun 23rd 2009 8:24AM]

at least they got the terrorist fist bump down.

[msganda @ Jun 23rd 2009 6:48AM]

Wonder if it will be as big a flop as this. Wouldn't hold my breath.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Awla9mvPjxw

Lol can I call on it?

[Jerrick @ Jun 23rd 2009 7:50AM]

I really do hope it IS the Nokia MID. The N97 has me dribbling with technolust almost enough for me to want to get replace my iPhone 3G.

[Verythrax @ Jun 23rd 2009 8:02AM]

n900 phone with Maemo!
n900 phone with Maemo!
n900 phone with Maemo!
please!

[john @ Jun 23rd 2009 8:25AM]

With an Atom??? Good lord, I hope not. I don't want to have to carry around 3 batteries just for my 1 hour commute to work. That'd be worse than my G1.

For the N900, or any other phone (since the N900 is supposed to be one), I sincerely hope they stick with ARM/Omap for a while longer. Intel just isn't ready to provide a phone with a decent battery life.

I'm betting on this being Nokia's netbook announcement. Though, I do hope it's a Maemo device.

[Verythrax @ Jun 23rd 2009 8:29AM]

Who said Atom? Just because it's intel, it doesn't mean Atom. At last not the netbook version of the CPU.

[milan @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:55AM]

the n900 is using a TIOMAP3, however I believe there is a regular tablet in the works too at 4.1"

[john @ Jun 23rd 2009 8:28AM]

I'm hoping for a dual announcement of:
a) 9" convertible tablet netbook running Maemo 5 on an Atom CPU.
b) N900 Maemo 5 based phone with ARM/OMAP CPU.
That would be a dream come true.

I'm dreading: N900 Maemo 5 based phone ... on an Atom CPU. That would pretty much be a nightmare come true.

[dkarageo @ Jun 23rd 2009 8:58AM]

Hey, maybe Nokia can also sell these to the government of Iran (or China or Cuba) so they have the option of suppressing their citizens on-the-go.

[F @ Jun 23rd 2009 9:25AM]

Wondertwin Powers . . . Activate!!

[NOCknock @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:33AM]

+1

[Patriks7 @ Jun 23rd 2009 10:08AM]

Looking at the hands in the picture...
"You telling me the man who try to put a rubber fist in my anus was a homosexual?"

[Cutkillavince @ Jun 23rd 2009 11:40AM]

Official annoncement by Intel

http://www.intc.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=391345

Intel and Nokia announce strategic relationship to shape next era of Mobile Computing innovation
Intel to License Nokia's HSPA/3G Modem Technologies

[Vivon @ Jun 23rd 2009 12:08PM]

O my gosh~