Intel outs new low-power Atom Z600 chip for smartphones, smartbooks, and other smart stuff

Intel just introduced a new Atom processor, but this one ain’t for netbooks. Codenamed Moorestown, the Z600 is meant for use on smaller portable devices such as smartphones and slates, and is much more power efficient than it’s made-for-netbook brethren, touting a battery life that’s listed at around 4-5 hours for browsing over a cellular data network and video playback, but should last for over 10 days on standby.

It’s not your average smartphone processor though. The Z600 supports Intel’s Hyperthreading tech and a slight overclock mode that pushes the performance when extra computing power is needed. The chip also comes with an integrated GMA 600 graphics core that can handle OpenGL ES2.0 and hardware video acceleration, 720p video recording and 1080p HD playback.

Different mobile operating systems are supported, including Android, and the new chips will be clocked differently depending on what it’s going to run on: up to 1.5GHz chips for smartphones, and up to 1.9GHz on tablets and mobile internet devices.

There aren’t a lot of Intel Inside mobile devices right now, although a few are in the works, including an Android-based Aava Mobile phone and OpenPeak’s OpenTablet 7 due out later this year.