Intel Introduces 1.25GHz XScale Processor

Describing the chip as "another step ahead in performance", Maloney demo'd a pre-production Monahans running at 1.25GHz. The chip was being used to decode and play back HD video on a PDA screen. The chip may not debut at that speed, Maloney admitted: "We don't know whether we'll introduce [Monahans] at 1GHz or above, but there's enormous headroom there." So even if it doesn't launch at that kind of clock speed, Intel will be able to push it up to that level in due course.

I must say, the thought of a PDA with over a GHz is pretty exciting. Just like a home computer though, faster PDA processors speeds seem to be a little overkill for the average user. The nice thing is that in the last few years it seems the faster a PDA gets, the lower the price.