Windows Phone Thoughts: Intel Plans Windows Vista Support for Handhelds

"Intel CEO Paul Otellini today pledged to permit handheld users to run Windows Vista on their palmtops by the end of the decade. Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer may none be too happy that his Wintel colleague is setting out to rid the world of Windows Mobile but that's the way it goes. And anyway, Steve Jobs is a customer too, now. Otellini's pitch was a new generation of devices he dubbed the 'handtop'. The platform is nothing new, of course - PDAs, palmtops and handheld PCs have been around for years - but past attempts to create truly mobile, wireless micro PCs have been hindered by performance and battery life limitations."

Intel's vision is to create a new wave of mobile devices equipped with 0.5W processors and Windows Vista. Don't break a sweat just yet. I'm adamant that Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs and Smartphones will still be around for many years to come, and besides, Intel has set a forecast of 2010.

At any rate, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts - are you for or against the use of a desktop OS on a mobile device? Perhaps OQO users could chime in as well, but bear in mind that Intel's idea of a handtop in 2010 will be vastly different to today's oh-so-pricey OQO.