http://pictures.directnews.co.uk/liveimages/Intel_1071_18758474_0_0_4523_100.jpg

International chip manufacturer Intel has bought a Linux development firm from London, it has emerged.

Information technology reporter vnunet.com noted that the company - OpenedHand - has dealt with Nokia, One Laptop per Child and Intel as past customers, as well as the software project for desktops, Gnome.

The company's website stated: "The OpenedHand team will join the Intel Open Source Technology Center and will focus on the development of the Moblin Software Platform, the optimised software stack for Intel Atom processors."

Other members from the team, the news provider added, have contributed to such projects as GTK+, Linux kernel, Abiword, GStreamer and X Window System.

The joint project comes soon after it reported that Intel was targeting its Atom processor at ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) such as the Asus Eee 901.

Intel is currently developing a range of these UMPCs for work in hospitals and GPS systems, with the company teaming up with such manufacturers as Panasonic and BP, according to vnunet.com.

More than half of small businesses (53%) believe that the most important benefit of outsourcing is guaranteed response times for IT support, London based Connect conducted the research in 2007.