Enter Stage Right: Intel's Moorestown

[Nurhisham Hussein]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/2010/20100504comp.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.intel.com/pressroom/arch...0100504comp.htm</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Collectively these new chips deliver significantly lower power including &gt;50x reduction in idle power, &gt;20x reduction in audio power, and 2-3x reductions across browsing and video scenarios - all at the platform level when compared to Intel's previous-generation product. These power savings translate into &gt;10 days of standby, up to 2 days of audio playback and 4-5 hours of browsing and video battery life3. When combined with 1.5-3x higher compute performance, 2-4x richer graphics, &gt;4x higher JavaScript performance, and support for full HD 1080p high-profile video decoding and 720p HD video recording, these low-power innovations bring a rich, PC-like visual experience to powerful handheld computers."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/wpt/auto/1273106237.usr14226.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>I have been waiting for this for years, even before Intel decided to push into the low-power processor space. What Moorestown brings to the table is the ability to run x86 applications, while still offering decent phone-like battery life for mobile devices. Note that at this stage Intel isn't claiming compatibility with Microsoft Windows of any flavour, prefering to focus on Android, Meego and Moblin. That's understandable as Windows isn't yet optimised for the much smaller screens of smartphones/MIDs and we still have the yet-to-be-overcome problem of switching from a mouse/keyboard control pardigm to one that focuses on touch. Having said that, just the idea of being able to bring all my apps and data around with me on a very mobile platform without restriction or having to deal with file conversions, has me shivering with anticipation. Despite what Apple says, some application types have yet to make the transition to smartphones ("no, there isn't an app for that"), which is where the appeal for Moorestown lies.</p>

[Russ Smith]

Like you, I see the new Intel chip as a step in the right direction. There have always been three issues with portable computing: The first is processing power. Powerful processors generate lots of heat and use lots of power. As processor parts have gotten closer together (65nm to 45nm to 32nm), both heat and power requirements have gone down. Sure, you won't get the power of an i7 into a phone just yet, but you can reach the point of having "enough power" to perform most of what people want in a small box. UMPCs and Netbooks have tried before, but never quite got to the "enough power" threshold.
That still leaves the other two issues, though. Portables still suffer from the trade-off between usable screen space + fast input method and small (portable) size. Screen space is needed to be able to work with web pages and work with documents effectively. Multi-touch zoom helps a great deal, but it does slow you down a bit. On the other hand, you won't carry a tablet-sized device with you in anywhere near the number of situations that you would a cell-phone-sized device.
Likewise, while on-screen input methods work, they still aren't as fast and error-free as a simple keyboard. But a keyboard means more space, increasing at least the depth of the unit.
The last issue is the application interface. (This is, possibly, a corollary to screen-size.) On a desktop, drop-down menus and pop-up dialogs work passably well. On a smaller screen, they become more cumbersome and often require scrolling and maybe even panning. It's clear the whole GUI has to be rethought to maximize performance on the smaller screen. Right now, that's done by having a separate OS. That also allows retooling for minimal processing power and much smaller memory models, but it also means there is no cross-compatibility of applications.
Ideally, the same OS could be used in both micro and macro scales with (at least) two GUIs, one that works well on large/multiple screens and one that works well on smaller screens. That would even allow docking your smartphone into a larger screen (and keyboard) environment and using it exactly like a desktop.
I'm sure that's quite a few more years away, but this is a step closer to it.