14 DAY TRIAL // Intel has made a great leap this year, showing its intent to go from a company primarily dealing in server, desktop and laptop processors to one that powers every device smaller than a phone.
Apparently, since ARM has the tablet and smartphone markets well in hand, the Santa Clara company wants to establish a hold on a new wearable tech industry before ARM gets it all to itself thanks to its continued leadership in energy efficiency.
Not that the power draw gap between ARM and x86 architectures is all that huge at this point. Even Intel devices can go for longer on battery power than people usually spend time away from a power socket.
Anyway, Intel wants to be inside every gadget if possible, so it brought quite a few things to Las Vegas, Nevada, where CES 2014 is happening right now (January 7 – 10).
In terms of the expected, we have the smartwatch in that picture up on the left, which we don't know anything about except that it works completely free of phones.
That's right, it's not just an accessory dependent on your smartphone or tablet for Internet connection. It is totally independent, though it can still give you phone notifications if you have one.
On the other side of the spectrum, in terms of the odd, we have the wireless charging bowl, which you just dump your device into and let recover its energy over time (assuming it supports wireless recharging).
In between lie various other things, like smart earbuds that track your heart rate, and a headset called “Jarvis” that has voice recognition and connects via Bluetooth.
“The system will work with any existing personal systems. It's seamless, no buttons, low power,” Brian Krzanich, Intel’s CEO, said about Jarvis.
“The watch will know when kids are supposed to be at school, how they get there, and the watch can notify parents if the child goes astray,” Krzanich added.
All of these concepts should become actual products at some point this year, and they will be powered by the Intel Edison PC-on-a-chip.
