We know, it’s already old news. Intel’s most definitely jumping into the mobile-scene and they’re planning to make a pretty big splash. So, just what does the chip-making giant have in store for us in the mobile market? Well, aside from possibly powering the next-gen iPhone, Intel’s got a pretty broad strategy for everything mobile.The Intel booth here at CES 2008 Las Vegas was filled with ultra-mobile PC concepts. Many were engineering samples that were just there to look pretty – but some were actually fully-working prototypes. We managed to elbow our way through the crowd to shoot a quick video of on of the cooler UMPC’s interfaces in action. The UMPC we played with was slated for a 1H 2008 launch, and should be outfitted with either WiMAX or 3G – in the name of cost and battery life, the connectivity options will be an “either/or” proposition. Keep reading for a video of the Intel UMPC in action. 
Now, as far as the truly mobile market is concerned, Intel is going to be making some serious plays for our collective hearts. First up, we have that iPhone-clone that was shown off a few months ago. The unit is a non-functional mockup and does nothing but sit-pretty, but it really gives you an idea of what Intel is planning.
Intel likes to call their mobile offerings “mobile internet devices.” We like that. Intel has stressed that they’re going to be building out platforms that work as super-connected, pocketable PCs as well as mobile phones – and the “mobile internet device” branding really plays to that aspect. 
The Intel booth-rep we spoke with told us that all of Intel’s Silverthorne-powered devices based on the company’s Menlow mobile platform are able to outperform the competition while keeping battery life on the up-and-up. Part of Intel’s Silverthorne efficiency is apparently due to a little-known element called Hafnium. Intel found that, by sandwiching their transistor gates with this metal, they could prevent energy leaks – keeping the electrons on their intended path and making sure that every drop of electrical juice gets used for computing (and not creating heat).
We can’t wait to see what Intel has in store for us in the coming months. We’ll be surprised if they don’t completely blow us out of the water – especially if they launch anything as cool as that “mobile internet device” that just happens to look like an iPhone.
And, now for the video…