Intel has announced a new Atom processor for tablets, designed to take on ARM-derived processors at their own game. With the ARM ecosystem's domination of the phone and tablet market, Intel finds itself playing catchup. Can Oak Trail turn the corner for Intel on low-power devices? Here's what you need to know about the new platform. What is Oak Trail? Oak Trail is the codename for Intel's new Atom platform, which consists of two chips. Like the Moorestown mobile phone-orientated platform , Oak Trail is a System on Chip (SoC) platform consisting of two chips – the new Intel Atom processor Z670 and the Intel SM35 Express Chipset. The processor is 60 per cent smaller than previous generations with a lower-power design for fanless devices The chipset has USB 2.0 – not 3.0 – but has Intel High-Definition Audio for media playback. The Oak Trail platform is designed to enable thin form factors of all types, but is a fork in Intel's Atom roadmap; current-generation netbooks run the Pine Trail platform, which will transition to Cedar Trail by the end of 2011.
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