Intel has announced a new version of its Atom processor for smartphones and tablet devices. Previously code-named Moorestown, the Intel Atom processor Z6xx (which contains 140 million transistors) is capable of delivering multitasking, full 1080p video playback, 720p HD video recording and 3D graphics with lower power consumption than previous designs. The company says this means up to 10 days of standby, up to 2 days of audio playback or 4 to 5 hours of browsing and video.

Processor speeds of up to 1.5GHz are supported for smartphones, with up to 1.9GHz for tablets.

Orange has revamped its mobile broadband service, changing its price plans and introducing the 'animal' branding used on its mobile phone services.

Dolphin costs from £15 a month and includes a 'happy hour' of unlimited surfing every day. Customers can pick 8am-9am, 12-1pm, 4pm-5pm or 10pm-11pm. The tariff includes 3GB of data per month on an 18-month minimum term contract or 2GB of data per month on a 1-month contract.

Panther Mobile Broadband starts at £25 a month for 10GB of data but offers 'unlimited' data for £35 a month on an 18-month contract. And Racoon starts at £5 a month for 500MB of data on an 18-month contract.

Blyk, which ran its own ad-funded mobile network in the UK before working with Orange, has launched a consumer mobile phone service with Vodafone in the Netherlands. The two companies announced a partnership deal last July.

Blyk NL promises 1,000 monthly free minutes of Blyk-to-Blyk calls and 1,000 monthly text messages to consumers aged 16 to 29 who top up their account by 10 Euro every three months. As with the UK service, users need to provide their own MMS-capable mobile phone.

Microsoft and Nokia have launched the first application that's been created from the partnership announced last August. It's called Microsoft Communicator Mobile and is a business-focussed communications client for selected Symbian-based Nokia Eseries smartphones.

Communicator Mobile enables users to see their colleagues’ availability from the contacts application. Users can then click to communicate with colleagues using their preferred method, from instant messaging and email to texting or making a phone call.

This new application is available to download for the Nokia E72 and Nokia E52. The two companies plan to pre-install Communicator Mobile on select Nokia smartphones in the future, with support for additional devices also planned.