“Transmeta’s Crusoe processor will debut in ultralight
laptops from IBM, Hitachi, Fujitsu and NEC in the second half of
the year, and more are to come, Transmeta chief executive Dave
Ditzel said today….”
“The apparent embrace of the company’s processors sets up a
near-instant rivalry with chip giant Intel. With the notebook
deals, Transmeta hopes to challenge Intel in the business-computing
market. In addition, both companies are working hard to get into
the device market and are working feverishly with the Linux
community….”
“he battle over which chip is superior will likely be a heated
and never-ending topic. Transmeta chips appear to be more
power-efficient, allowing devices to run longer on a single battery
charge.”
“On the other hand, the Crusoe processors do not read Windows
applications directly. Instead, the chips apply a process called
“code morphing,” which even Transmeta admits slows performance a
bit. A 600-MHz chip, for instance, may in reality run more like a
500 MHz.”