Transmeta's Crusoe: survivor or castaway?

Transmeta hit the headlines last year when the news that it was developing a processor for the mobile computing market leaked out to the press. The startup particularly piqued the interest of the media because it had managed to recruit Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, to its executive line-up.

The firm then caused a storm in February this year when it launched its low-wattage Crusoe processor, which was based mainly on software rather than hardware. This means that Crusoe generates less heat and uses less power than traditional chips - something that is particularly useful for mobile devices.

At the same time, however, Transmeta set itself the David versus Goliath task of taking on chip giant Intel. But this did not stop questions being asked as to whether it would manage to sign up enough high profile original equipment manufacturers to build machines based on its technology. The company has since lined up such heavyweights as IBM and Dell, but despite being a darling of the industry, its future is still far from certain.