Some snippets have emerged concerning Intel's upcoming second-gen Atom processor, already known to be due for release mid-2009.

The chip, codenamed 'Pineview', is the successor to today's 'Diamondville' part - aka the N270. The N280 will likewise be a single-core chip, but it will be clocked at 1.67GHz and connect across a 667MHz frontside bus. The N270's speeds are 1.6GHz and 533MHz, respectively.

Such a small increase suggests Intel is focusing more on power conservation - battery life, effectively - than performance.

The N280 will be accompanied by a new chipset, the GN40, which will presumably be tuned to the faster FSB and provide a better integrated graphics core.

Asian website DigiTimes notes that the bundle of CPU and chipset be priced at $60-65, a little more than the $46 the N270 and 945GSE chipset together cost manufacturers. ®