Smartphones based on Intel’s Atom processor – which is the company’s smallest and least power-hungry chip – will now be able to run Android.  An Intel official announced the step forward this morning, and hinted that some new devices will be developed as a result of this move, too.

Here’s the good news for Google: Dan Nystedt and Owen Fletcher reported, "Intel already has Android running on Atom-based smartphones and certain customers are interested in using it, said Renee James, general manager of Intel’s software and services group, on the sidelines of the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing."

So it may be that Google will get several more chances to increase its visibility in the mobile market before long.  Which would coordinate well with Eric Schmidt’s "mobile first" strategy.

The disappointing thing, from Google’s point of view, is that Intel hasn’t decided to favor Android over any other mobile operating system.  James explained that Intel’s actually enabling all operating systems for Atom phones.

This could be an interesting opportunity to see how device manufacturers feel about Android, then, since Intel’s decision will place it on an equal footing with everything else.