November 4 - 9:40am EST   Intel is developing an update to its Atom variants for handhelds that should arrive in just a few months, says an apparent tip from companies building mobile Internet devices, or MIDs. Known as the Menlow refresh for the processor platform's codename, the update would boost most of the line a speed grade upwards; the Z550 would clock higher than 1.83GHz, while the Z534 would escape the 1.6GHz speeds used by nearly all Atom computers. A Z515 would also bring clock speeds faster than 800MHz to the very smallest handhelds. [full story]

March 2 - 10:55pm EST   Intel tonight kicked off Germany's CeBIT expo with the unveiling of Atom, a new processor line specifically tailored towards ultra-mobile PCs, mobile Internet devices (MIDs), and other handhelds. Previously nicknamed either Silverthorne or Diamondville, the processor series is built on the same 45 nanometer manufacturing process as newer Core 2 chips and shares the same instruction set, but is far smaller: a single US penny is large enough to fit 11 Atom processor dies, Intel touts. While simpler at 47 million transistors, this and size reduction techniques reduce its power use to between 0.6 and 2.5 watts, enough to fit in very small spaces. [full story]

February 4 - 1:25pm EST   Intel today supplied additional information about its expected Silverthorne ultra-mobile processors. Speaking at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference, the company has revealed that the 45 nanometer processor will not only be more power-efficient -- consuming between 0.5 and 2 watts at peak use -- but will also be fundamentally compatible with both newer and older technologies. Although far smaller, Silverthorne will share the same architecture as Core 2 chips. Programmers can write code for the common platform and know that it will scale down, Intel says. [full story]

January 17 - 9:45am EST   Gigabyte will be the latest to introduce a micro-notebook in the vein of ASUS' Eee PC, company VP Richard Ma has said. Without providing full details, the executive notes that the new mini PC will use Intel's Shelton platform with a 1.6GHz, single-core CPU whose entire platform draws just eight watts. Screen size will range anywhere from 7 to 9 inches depending on the final design. As with ASUS, the unnamed system will be made in-house rather than contracted to someone else, Gigabyte says. [full story]

December 21 - 10:40am EST   Apple will use the chipsets that form the basis of Intel's ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) and mobile Internet device (MID) reference platforms, according to a claim by AppleInsider. Expanding on previous statements from Taiwan suppliers, the rumor site points to Apple using the 45-nanometer Silverthorne mobile chip for "multiple products" during 2008. The small manufacturing process lets it run as quickly as the better Pentium M chips that preceded the Core Duo but consume less than 2 watts of power -- less than a tenth of a typical notebook processor, based on Intel's own figures. Modern Core 2 Duo notebook processors consume an average 25 watts or more at their thermal ... [full story]

December 14 - 11:45pm EST   Intel late Friday revealed what it touts as the most miniscule solid-state drive ever released. The Z-P140 is tailored for portable media players, handhelds, and other devices where even the already small 1.8-inch flash drives common to ultraportable notebooks would be too large. The entire drive is no larger than a penny and weighs just 0.02 ounces --as much as a paper clip, the chipmaker says. Regardless of its size, the SSD is still faster than most any flash-based memory card and reads as quickly as 40MB per second while writing at 30MB per second. [full story]