"Intel won't necessarily help Android run better on ARM [chips], but it certainly can make Android run great on the Intel architecture," Gold added. Google also wants to run Android on x86 computers, such as desktops and laptops, which today outnumber tablets by a ration of four to one, Gold noted. Having such a capability will help Google compete against and , especially as services evolve.

Power-saving ARM chips run on the overwhelming majority of smartphones today, something that Intel wants to change with its Atom-based approach. The work that Intel provides for Android on Atom will inevitably spill over to help improve Android on ARM, Gold said.

Few analysts are publicly venturing any guesses about how well Intel will do in smartphones with the power-hungry Atom processor, even though Intel is already very late to the smartphone game. Some believe Intel should invest in an ARM-based technology to try to catch up, but Dulaney disagreed.

"Intel does not need to buy ARM technology," Dulaney said in an email. "Intel will be fine if they can get the power consumption down in the 22nm and 14nm [Intel chip] worlds when they get here."

Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at or subscribe to . His e-mail address is .