Intel officially took the wraps off its widely-discussed and readily-implemented Centrino Atom processor / system controller for MIDs last night, and while there aren't a lot of surprises in spec land, it was nice to finally get an idea of what these suckers will cost:

• Z500 - 800MHz, 0.65W TDP power, 400MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($45)
• Z510 - 1.1GHz, 2W TDP power, 400MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($45)
• Z520 - 1.33GHz, 2W TDP power, 533MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($65)
• Z530 - 1.6GHz, 2W TDP power, 533MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($95)
• Z540 - 1.86GHz, 2.4W TDP power, 533MHz FSB, 512K L2 cache ($160)

That's the pricing per 1,000 units, and is a little bit more than that $30 1.6GHz Atom 230 we were hearing about, but it does include the CPU plus the System Controller Hub with integrated graphics, HD video playback, HD audio and other nifty I/O things like support for WiFi, WiMAX and cellular radios.

Ever since Intel compared the criticality of its (still) forthcoming Silverthorne (which now goes by Atom, if you couldn't guess) processor to the original Pentium last June, we've all wondered just how fantasmical our worlds would become when this thing finally dropped. Now, however, Tom's Hardware has discovered that the release may actually do more for Intel than we geeks. After consulting a source it believes to be quite credible, it found that the CPU -- which will likely sell for upwards of $30 at the low-end -- will cost Intel just "$6 to $8, including production, packaging and shipping." Without busting out the abacus, it's still fairly easy to see how profitable said chips could be if Intel can move these at even a snail's pace, but of course, we'd take the dollars and cents estimates with a grain of salt until they actually hit the market.

[Via Digg]

Yeah, we know. We've seen this EB MID engineering sample kicking around for nearly a year now. However, this is the first time we've seen it running a rock-solid, VoIP application on that tiny Silverthorne, eh hrm, Atom processor. So solid, in fact, that Intel purposely crashes the OS while the VoIP call keeps on kicking. That piece of magic comes via VirtualLogix who keep the network stack and audio running in a virtualized Linux instance while the main OS reboots. Pretty compelling glimpse of a future without voice contracts. Don't believe us? Check the video after the break.

That's right, kids. The crazy, long-iPhone prototype we saw demoed at IDF a few months back has made its way into our greedy hands. We've got to say, Intel should just bring this thing to market right now. While the UI wasn't up and running, just holding the thing, and checking out the demo shots of the interface was enough to give us big chills. It's thin, it's light, and we have to say, pretty darn fresh. If they keep up with this kind of work, we're fully prepared to be blown away in the future. Of note: the rep here claimed that the company now has even smaller and thinner versions of this thing in prototype -- though they don't seem to be at CES, and he kept reiterating that the prototype I was handling was slated for a 2009 release. Oh well, feast your eyes on the gallery.

We suppose it was always inevitable, but things are about to get quite interesting at the intersection of cellphone and laptop processors. According to Intel, Apple has apparently committed to using the company's 45nm Silverthorne chip in multiple products slated for 2008. The chip offers the processing power of second-generation Pentium M processors, with the power consumption of a cellphone chip. Of course, it's not just the processor. Apple is expected to emerge as a major supporter of Intel's whole "Menlow" Mobile Internet Device platform, which packages processor, graphics and connectivity into a small enough bundle to give iPhone-powering Samsung a run for its money in ultra mobile products -- and Intel has made it clear that it has its sights set on that very member of Apple's lineup wit. The best news for dreamers that've been holding out for a true Newton successor all this time is that the chips provide plenty of juice for a UMPC-type device should Apple choose to go down that path.

[Thanks, Mark]

Intel just keeps banging out the hits from IDF. After the handful of McCaslin "next-quarter" and "coming-soon" UMPCs we saw from the chipmaker (and associates), Intel started busting out prototypes from its forthcoming Menlow chipset, using smaller, 45nm Silverthorne CPUs, and the 2009/2010 offering Moorestown... which is the bad-boy you're looking at in these photos is based on. In a rather obvious homage to the iPhone, the chip-kingpin presented this do-anything, go-anywhere MID (provided you can cram this French-bread-sized device into a pocket). The device will feature a 45nm CPU as well, plus all kinds of goodies like integrated WiFi and WiMAX, and apparently 24 hours of battery life on a single charge. Obviously, this product will probably never see the light of day (at least not in this form factor), but then again -- you never really know. Check a few more photos after the break.

Read -- Intel shows concept iPhone running on Moorestown platform
Read -- Intel's iPhone clone, we're not joking
Read -- Intel Details Next Generation "Menlow" MID, UMPC Platform

As the news continues to flow from Intel's Developer Forum, we're now hearing that the chip maker could make "surprise moves into consumer electronics chips." More specifically, it seems that the outfit is looking to "roll out a system-on-a-chip code-named Canmore aimed at HDTVs and other products," as well as Silverthorne, which would apparently be reserved for handheld devices. 'Course, Intel has dabbled in these areas without notable success in the past, but analysts are suggesting that gaining traction this time around "could be big" for the firm. Ah Intel, why the tease?

Intel's been throwing so many mobile processor codenames around in the past 12 months or so that we've resorted to hiring droids to constantly update pivot tables as chips are named and nixed from its ever-evolving roadmap. But being the weekend and all, it looks like we're stuck telling you about yet another presumably vital processor that's likely destined to hit cellphones, UMPCs, and other handheld computing platforms sometime in the not too distant future. According to an interview by Germany's FAZ, Intel's CEO compared the chip "to the original Pentium" in terms of importance to the company, and while Mr. Otellini didn't go into too much detail beyond that (can't blame him for keeping us curious), he did note that the firm hopes the 45nm CPU can infiltrate "10 to 20-percent of the mobile phone market."

[Via TGDaily]