The Byzantine labyrinth which is Intel has finally gotten around to confirming that its upcoming low-cost/low-power CPUs code-named Silverthorne and Diamondville will be sold under the handle Atom when it is released.

According to Intel, the name is supposed to make punters see the chip as very small, although many may not want a Nagasaki reaction in their handheld computers, we would have thought. Atom is being pitched toward handheld devices, which has been an area which Intel has failed to penetrate.

According to the latest roadmap Intel is planning to introduce a "Centrino Atom" brand and ask developers to design their MID products within certain specifications.

Basically this means an integrated graphics co-processor and a wireless radio. Apparently Intel will not allow developers to install their nice thin chip in anything that is too thick.