Intel might be the world's largest manufacturer of microprocessors, but its market share in the mobile and tablet markets is virtually non existent.

Most OEMs have chosen to equip their devices with ARM-based variants (Qualcomm, TI and Nvidia notable examples), but Intel is hoping the launch of the new Atom Z670 – codenamed Oak Trail, and just revealed at the Intel Developer Forum event in Beijing – will start a land grab for the firm in the coming months, at least when it comes to tablets.

Wintel

"You won't find a lot of Intel-based tablets on the shelves at the moment," remarked Intel's marketing manager for notebook and tablets Kevin O'Donovan, according to the BBC.

"2011 is about becoming relevant."

Oak Trail's selling point is that it's smaller and uses less power than previous Atom chips. As a result, it sports a longer battery life. There's also the question of Intel's marketing muscle. 

The company states a total of 35 tablets and smartphones will come equipped with Oak Trail before the end of 2011.

Able to support both Android and MeeGo operating systems, Intel is aiming to gain support across the tablet spectrum. Crucially, Oak Trail is also Windows 7 compatible, meaning the firm is likely to snap up support from many OEMs looking to sell tablets running Microsoft's OS.

Clients already committed to Oak Trail include Fujitsu, Lenovo, Razer, Viliv and Evolve III, with the first devices expected this May.

[source: MobileBeat]