Intel expands developer opportunities

Krzanich said computing has become increasingly personal, enhancing nearly all aspects of life. “Computers are on our desks, in our bags, in our clothes, in our homes and on our bodies. They are not only growing smarter and more connected, but gaining senses and becoming an extension of ourselves.”

An ecosystem is emerging around Intel to address these growing opportunities for computing. Krzanich detailed many of the essential products, technologies and tools from the company that will help developers make the differentiated experiences possible.

He unveiled a number of updates to Intel RealSense technology that will bring depth sensing to more devices and applications, and announced new collaborations for securing the IoT, in addition to programmes and toolkits for developers to help speed industrial IoT solutions to market. And, for the highly personalised world of wearable computing, Krzanich provided updates on the Intel Curie module and previewed a new reality competition programme called ‘America’s Greatest Makers’, produced by United Artists Media Group CEO Mark Burnett and appearing across leading networks and properties of Turner Broadcasting.

Each year at IDF, Intel shares its vision for the future of technology innovation with the developers and partners who will create the products, engineer the systems, render the movies, and power the toys and devices that create amazing experiences. Below are key announcements highlighted at this year’s forum.

• Intel RealSense technology will be available on a wide-range of platforms, opening up more opportunities for developers to create new depth-sensing hardware and software. In addition to Windows and Android, developers will be able to use Intel RealSense technology with Mac OS X, ROS, Linux, Scratch1, Unity, XSplit, OBS, Structure SDK, OSVR, Unreal Engine 4 and Google’s Project Tango. Also, a number of developers, including Razer, XSplit and Savioke announced new platforms, peripherals and other solutions based on the Intel RealSense technology.
• In collaboration with Google, Intel is driving innovation in mobile depth sensing by combining Google’s Project Tango and Intel RealSense technologies into an Android smartphone developer kit. The Intel RealSense Smartphone developer kit featuring Google’s Project Tango enables new experiences, including indoor navigation and area learning, virtual reality, 3D scanning, and more. The developer kit is targeted for release to select Android developers by the end of this year.
• Intel is collaborating with Mark Burnett’s United Artists Media Group and Turner Broadcasting to create a reality competition called ‘America’s Greatest Makers’ that will premiere in the first half of 2016 and showcase makers competing for a $1m prize by inventing wearable technology and smart connected consumer devices powered by the Intel Curie module.
• Intel introduced Intel Optane technology, which is based on the revolutionary 3D XPoint non-volatile memory media and combined with the company’s advanced system memory controller, interface hardware and software IP, to unleash vast performance potential in a range of forthcoming products. Intel Optane technology will first come to market in a new line of high-endurance, high-performance Intel SSDs beginning in 2016. The new class of memory technology will also power a new line of Intel DIMMs designed for Intel’s next-generation data centre platforms.
• Fossil Group previewed three Intel technology-based products resulting from its wearables collaboration with Intel first announced in September 2014, including a connected watch running Android Wear. The products will be available in the fourth-quarter of this year.
• Intel announced a new software platform created specifically for the Intel Curie module, which includes all of the hardware, firmware, software and application SDK needed to enable a variety of device experiences. Intel IQ Software Kits will support future versions of this platform.
• Intel’s Enhanced Privacy Identification (EPID) technology will be implemented by leading IoT sensor and MCU vendors including Atmel and Microchip to help secure an increasingly smart and connected world.