Intel to be part of Nokia's MWC press conference -- a new Booklet, or something more?

Well, this is interesting -- Intel just sent us an invitation to Nokia's press event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week. We're told that the two companies will update us on the "latest developments" from their relatively new relationship, before Nokia launches into its solo presser directly afterwards. That could mean pretty much anything from a ho-hum Atom N450 refresh of the Booklet 3G to a fire-breathing Moorestown Maemo 5 phone, so we're obviously extremely curious to see what goes down -- our money is on the more conservative side of things, since we're thinking Intel just wants to have a presence at MWC, but we do love to be surprised.

[dattebayo Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:33PM]

New Phone??

[spasewalkr Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:34PM]

You sir, get the award for most generic comment ever.

[Clancycoop Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:48PM]

@spasewalkr New Nokia device?
Can I have the award now?

[Bud92 Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:39PM]

fire breathing , I smirked +1

[ChazClout Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:40PM]

Please be the Nokbook Pro i5!!!!!1!one

[dedparrot Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:40PM]

windows mobi............what?

[Pdexter Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:41PM]

Hmm sounds great. Not waiting to see any super wtf phone from Intel + Nokia just yet so probally a booklet update.

[cptKlutz Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:44PM]

nTablet?

[user47alpha Posted Feb 11th 2010 3:05PM]

@cptKlutz
Oh god, it has begun... so a Nokia internet tablet is now an nTablet or nPad? Because Nokia is just following Apple and hasn't an "nTablet" since 2005 (Nokia 770)?

[Ericloewe Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:44PM]

Is this the year we see x86 on smartphones?

[NewL Posted Feb 11th 2010 2:44PM]

@Ericloewe, actually already happening. LG showed a Moorestown-based smartphone running Moblin at CES. It's rather unwieldly, though...

[Eternity Posted Feb 11th 2010 2:53PM]

@Ericloewe
X86 PHONES= FAIL

[Spolsky Posted Feb 11th 2010 3:18PM]

@Eternity
X86 PHONES = INEVITABLE

Intel is the undisputed king of fabrication processes, we're probably going to see 32nm Atoms by 2011, then 22, 16, 13... It's not a question of if but when they will be efficient enough for mobile phones.

[Malcolm Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:44PM]

Speculation here is that could be an Atom based Intel/Nokia System on a Chip:

http://www.semiaccurate.com/2010/02/08/intel-and-nokia-make-chip/

[Rev Posted Feb 11th 2010 1:50PM]

If Intel could get Nokia to use their processors on smartphones, it could be pretty good deal for Intel and major breakthrough for their ultra-low-voltage line.

I remember reading somewhere that Intel has so far sold about 40 million Atoms. Nokia sold 68 million smartphones last year.

[Mr w00t Posted Feb 11th 2010 2:04PM]

@Rev Dunno... I hope something good comes out of it but lately I have been very impressed with ARM procs.

There was a video, I think here in Engadget, showing a comparison between an intel proc and arm and boy... that thing is fast. Put in the bowl the known energy saving and it is just unbelievable.

I dont know how much sense it makes for Nokia to actually start (re-)building all of those software packages that are already present from ARM to X86.

[Pdexter Posted Feb 11th 2010 2:18PM]

Intel isn't doing pretty much nothing in the smartphone segment and ARM is rocking so it makes so much sense to get together with world largest mobile phone and smartphone maker who is just doing big changes in it's smartphone portfolio and Nokia surely wouldn't mind to have competitive edge with Intel as it's brining new light weight chips.

My guess is that this is still all about netbooks thought.

[Rev Posted Feb 11th 2010 2:19PM]

@Mr w00t

True. While it would be great for Intel, I don't really see any big upside for Nokia. As you said ARM processors seem to be doing great and the mobile code base is there. Just like desktops are locked to X86.

[zerski Posted Feb 11th 2010 2:32PM]

I just have to say you guys have the most awesome job... "Oh yeah... gotta go to Barcelona to review some new gadgets... /yawn... all in a weeks work." LUCKY!!!!!!!!! well... not luck. The Engadget team does an amazing job at what they do. Keep up the awesome work!

[desibartender Posted Feb 11th 2010 2:37PM]

Hope it is something interesting like..."We give up. We can't beat Apple iPhone so we are getting out of smartphone business."

[Newwales Posted Feb 12th 2010 6:41AM]

@desibartender Cant Beat Apple????? Nokia sells thousands more phones than Apple, apart from the USA, Nokia & Symbian are king. The touchscreen OS Symbian is not that good, but with Symbian^4 out middle of this year that should all change.

By the way the iphone homescreen is very old now it is after all just a program list & every phone in history has a program list, Apple needs to add a proper homescreen so that widgets can be placed on it.

[christexaport Posted Feb 13th 2010 2:50PM]

@Newwales
Thousands? More like dozens of millions...

[Pdexter Posted Feb 11th 2010 2:47PM]

Can't wait to see what they have to announce.

[wtgig Posted Feb 11th 2010 6:46PM]

I wonder if intel is going to start making processors for mobile devices to compete against tegra and snapdragon

[sofiandros Posted Feb 12th 2010 12:03AM]

May be a merger announcement