As if Intel wasn't dominating the mobile space already, it went ahead and launched its next UMPC platform(codenamed "McCaslin"), today, at Spring IDF in Beijing. The roadmap for this new platform has been circling around the web for quite some time now. Intel makes it official today, launching a platform that features two new Intel processors, the A100 and A110, and a chipset, in which the total space occupied by these components is dramatically reduced. Future UMPC designs are expected to hit form factors equivalent to those of PDAs and SmartPhones. Devices like the OQO model 02 and the Sony VAIO VGN-UX180P have already set the bar for miniature handhelds. UMPCs are looking to match these feats, or at least have a more profound affect than their previous duds.

The A100 and A110 processor are based on the Dothan 90nm process. They're basically previous generation Pentium M processors clocked at 600Mhz and 800Mhz, respectively. Other specs like the 400Mhz Front Side Bus and 512KB L2 cache may not look impressive to laptop enthusiasts, but the Pentium M technology is a heck of a lot faster than the Celeron Ms used by current UMPCs. Aside from the smaller footprint, Intel is also promising better power savings capabilities, specifically with SpeedStep. The company is also targeting 4-5 hours of battery life, instead of the 2 hours and change current UMPCs are faced with.