PC phones 'to launch this year'

Classic x86 chips provide the legs for demanding new uses, says Via

Smart phones using classic x86 PC chips will be available by the end of the year, according to Taiwanese chipmaker Via.

"The chips used in current phones don't have the headroom for the tasks they are being called on to do," said Richard Brown, vice president of marketing.

Via has had a lot of success recently with its low-drain C7 x86 processors, expecially for devices such as the Samsung Q1 ultra-mobile. Brown said the company also makes products using the ARM architecture, which dominates the mobile phone space, and it was good for some products.

But x86 had the advantage of offering more computing power, a wealth of applications, and greater flexibility.

Some of C7-based ultra-mobile devices cited by Brown showed how the distinction between a smart phone and a computer is becoming blurred. Can a telephony-enabled ultra-mobile PC be classed as a smart phone?

Mobility, green computing, and low-cost computers for emerging markets are three main areas being target by Via, capitalising on its claim to have to lowest-drain processors and chipsets available.

Brown backtracked a little on Via's "carbon free" initiative launched late last year with its low-drain C7 processors. He showed Via's own design for a "carbon free" complete system but admitted that the term was controversial.

Via's offer to offset the carbon "bill" of its processors and systems by paying for trees to be planted met a lot of criticism – including one claim that planting well north of the equator can make global warming worse.

"It's much more complicated than we thought when we first look at it," said Brown. "I prefer now to say we will encourage alternative sources of energy."

He cited a number of Via-backed projects, including a solar-powered community information centre in Samoa.

Via has created two low-cost reference designs, one for PCs and one for thin clients, targeted at what the company calls the "next billion users" – people who cannot yet afford or obtain a computer.