Intel Breaks Into Mobile with Motorola

After a lengthy effort to bring its chipsets to mobile devices, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) has inked a deal with Motorola to supply its technology to the RAZR i.

Scheduled to be released next month in select European and Latin American markets including the U.K., France, Germany, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, (with more to be announced at a later date), the RAZR i is being promoted as the first smartphone to achieve speeds of 2.0 GHz. Motorola said that these speeds were achieved by Intel, which is building Atom processors for the device.

The RAZR i appears to be a very close sibling to the RAZR M, a new smartphone that the company plans to release in North America. Both devices contain an edge-to-edge, 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display, as well as a battery that the company claims is 40 percent more powerful than the competition.

There is one difference between the RAZR i and the RAZR M, however. The latter will use chips from Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM).

By using Intel's technology, the RAZR i will feature an instant-launch eight-megapixel camera that will reportedly launch in less than a second. There will also be a multi-shot mode that allows users to snap 10 pictures in less than one second.

"Together with Intel, we're redefining what people can expect from a mobile device," Jim Wicks, senior vice president of consumer experience design at Motorola Mobility, said in a company release. "A camera that launches in an instant, Web pages that load blazingly fast and a device that's the perfect balance of screen size and fit in hand. RAZR i delivers just that when you put an Intel-fast processor in a beautifully designed phone and add in extra long battery life."

Motorola did not have similar things to say about Qualcomm when it announced its other smartphones. Could this be a sign that the company will switch over to Intel in the near future?

In addition to the aforementioned features, the RAZR i will feature a diamond cut, aircraft-grade aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass from Corning (NYSE: GLW) and a backside that's made "Kevlar strong" from DuPont (NYSE: DD). The RAZR i also contains a splash-guard coating that protects the phone from coffee, water and other liquids.

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