Talking of app support, Kedia also answered the questions I raised yesterday about the Atom app stores, and whether consumers would only have access to apps sold through the store specific to the manufacturer of their device. Thankfully Intel has done the right thing here, and although any hardware manufacturer will be able to create their own app store for their Atom customers, there will be a central database of apps that will be available to all consumers, regardless of make or model.

Put simply, Intel will maintain a centralised store room of apps, but there will be many shop fronts to that store. This model still allows manufacturers to produce apps that are specific to their own devices, while still giving their customers access to the full library of Atom based applications.

Kedia also cleared up the question of compatibility. The applications will be designed and coded to run on IA devices, so they should run on any device with Intel architecture, whether that be a Moorestown handheld, a Menlow netbook or a Clarksfield notebook. The only issue will be the screen size and resolution that the app has been coded for - so if an app is built to run on a 10in netbook, it may not display properly on a 4in handheld, unless it's clever enough to detect the screen size and resolution, then adapt accordingly.

Connectivity is paramount for Moorestown devices, but Kedia made it clear that there's no monogamy involved - if 3G is the best option for a device, that's fine, if WiMAX is better, that's fine too, or maybe plain old Wi-Fi is good enough, Moorestown can support any and all of them.

Another part of the equation is obviously performance, and anyone who's running a feature rich smartphone right now will be well aware that significantly increased performance in handheld devices is pretty damn important. The amount of features, the number of apps and the amount we rely on these devices is increasing all the time, so a powerful new mobile platform would be welcomed by many, myself included.

Kedia indicated that Moorestown devices will be running at between one and 2GHz, which should give them enough horsepower to achieve Intel's "All the Internet, all of the time" dream. The key will be balancing that power with long battery life - several days of standby time between charges is the goal, but in use it will depend on how much time is spent talking and surfing, as with smartphones today.

Moorestown and Moblin could well create a completely new handheld platform, with cross-manufacturer compatibility ensuring that consumers wouldn't be tied into a specific brand of phone. Whether that happens depends on how many manufacturers choose to adopt the platform, how many developers code apps and whether the platform itself lives up to its promise. The good news is that we won't have to wait too long to find out.