Intel Smartphones, Tablets to Enter World Market in 2012

Smartphones and tablets running Intel's chips will enter the world mobile market in 2012, which will pose a challenge to the dominance of Apple's iPhone and iPad.

In September 2011, Intel announced a partnership with Google to enable the Android system to support the world's largest chip maker's architectures.

According to Technology Review, Intel phone prototype was similar in dimensions to the iPhone 4 but noticeably lighter.

The phone was powerful and pleasing to use, at par with the latest iPhone and Android handsets. It could play Blu-Ray-quality video and stream it to a TV if desired; Web browsing was smooth and fast, said the review.

An outstanding feature of the phone is its camera's "burst mode" which can capture 10 full-size eight-megapixel images at a rate of 15 per second, it noted.

Intel's tablet, running the latest version of Android system, has a slightly larger screen than the iPad 2 but is about the same thickness and weight. The review said a limited trial suggested it was nicer to use than older tablets based on older versions of Android.