Chip designer ”>Rambus, which so far has focused on PCs and video game systems, says it has developed technology that can speed up the time in which microprocessors in a mobile phone retrieves data from memory chips. The result? Phones that could be just as good as high-end computers in letting consumers view high definition video or playing complex games. The WSJ.com reports that Rambus claims its technology is five times faster that the most advanced solution on the market now, and 16 times faster than the typical connections in chips currently used. More specifically, the company says its MMI, or mobile memory initiative as the new technology is called, can deliver 4.3 gigabits of data per second on a single connection between chips versus the more typical 266 megabits of data per second.

But the big question, as the WSJ notes, is whether or not Rambus can gets its technology used by makers of memory chips and microprocessors for cell phones. Though the technology, according to In-Stat analyst Jim McGregor, should appeal to cellphone makers, if Rambus’ foray into PC chip technology is anything to go by, it won’t be smooth sailing. The company was unable to get memory chip makers to use their technology and is now bogged down in on-going legal battles over patents around it.

The other big question is how much will they charge chip makers to license their technology. A high price would bump up the cost of mobile phones at a time when consumer demand for them is waning. Rambus hasn’t set any prices, and chips using their technology is still apparently at least a year away. The company itself has said, however, that their new technology can actually make the cost of building handsets cheaper, since chip makers could bypass some of the data links they use now.