The smartphone makers are Orange, Lava International and ZTE. Intel CEO Paul Otellini, who made the announcement at the
Just last month, Intel disclosed at the
But he added that chipmakers using an alternative semiconductor design from British firm ARM - which are used in the vast majority of smartphones - also are improving their products. Given that stiff competition, some analysts contend Intel could have a tough time making a significant dent in the phone market.
Yves Maitre, Orange senior vice president of mobile multimedia and devices, said its Intel-powered smartphone will be available in the United Kingdom and France later this summer. Lava's smartphone will be available in India in the second quarter of this year, said Vishal Sehgal, that company's co-founder and board director. And ZTE will offer Intel chips in smartphones and tablets in China the second half of this year.
Although none of the phones are being offered for sale in the United States at this time, the deals are significant for Intel, according to spokesman Bill Calder.
Noting that China is the world's biggest cell-phone market and that sales of smartphones are rocketing in India, he said, "People sometimes forget that the U.S. is not the center of the universe when it comes to phones."
