Intel wants to make your autonomous car rides more entertaining

Once autonomous cars can routinely take over the monotonous, minute-to-minute responsibilities of actually driving, what are their human passengers supposed to do with themselves? Well, if Intel has any say, people will spend their trips being immers...

IDF 2015: Intel makes Big Strides with RealSense


Intel CEO Brian Krzanich kicked off the IDF 2015 in San Francisco this morning."Computers are on our desks, in our bags, in our clothes, in our homes and on our bodies. They are not only growing...

Intel Will Bring 3D Scanners to Tablets and Smartphones in 2015

Intel 3D scanner tablet

The world’s largest semiconductor maker has developed a 3D scanner small enough to fit in the bezel of consumer tablets. The first mobile devices to feature it will be available sometime next year.

The emergence of 3D printers and scanners will radically transform a lot of industries. As 3D printers get more affordable, we should find ways to scan anything we want in order to reproduce it. One issue some 3D scanners have is that they cannot tell the dimensions of the scanned object. Intel’s RealSense depth-sensing technology, on the other hand, can make use of the tablet’s camera to estimate the dimensions, and the measurement is reasonably accurate.

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich explained that “Our goal is to just have a tablet that you can go out and buy that has this capability. Eventually within two or three years I want to be able to put it on a phone.” He also expressed his enthusiasm about being able just copy any object in 3D: “The idea is you go out, you see something you like and you just capture it.”

During the demonstration made at MakerCon, Krzanich showed the world how a human can be scanned and rendered in 3D in a matter of minutes. Upon doing so, the resulting 3D model can be manipulated or 3D printed. I imagine that this would make special effects in movies a lot easier.

Stand-up comedians often laugh about Chinese people making knock-offs of major brands, and if 3D scanners turned mainstream with the help of Intel, things could get a very interesting turn. Of course, some products are made with technologies that aren’t visible to the naked eye. Give it a few years, though, and I bet we’ll have 3D printers for clothes and basically anything you can think of.

Intel won’t stop at putting 3D scanners in tablets and smartphones, though. The company also intends to put them in drones. Depending on the purpose, that could get really interesting. In the wrong hands, however, 3D scanning drones could represent the perfect tools for espionage.

The Dell Venue 8 7840 scamera that Intel showcased earlier this year can be considered a predecessor of 3D scanning tablets, as its six cameras work together in order to tell depth. It will be interesting to see what other technologies Intel has in store for us, as in the past few weeks they rolled out surprise after surprise.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Intel RealSense Dell Venue 8 7840 Android tablet, and Intel’s collaboration with Fossil on wearables.

Intel and Rockchip Team Up to Make SoCs for Budget Android Tablets

Rockchip - Intel Partnership

The Chinese semiconductor fabricator had already made a name for itself with the numerous chips it created for affordable, yet great performing Android tablets, but the partnership with Intel will definitely take it to new heights.

The partnership represents a strategic move for both companies. First of all, Intel wants to get its chips in as many Android devices as possible, while Rockchip is able to put its mobile design experience to great use. The brainchild of this collaboration is represented by three derivatives to the Intel SoFIA family of chipsets. The new SoCs will be used to power low-cost Android tablets and maybe smartphones.

Brian Krzanich, Intel CEO, stated that “The strategic agreement with Rockchip is an example of Intel’s commitment to take pragmatic and different approaches to grow our presence in the global mobile market by more quickly delivering a broader portfolio of Intel architecture and communications technology solutions. We are excited to work with Rockchip. With today’s announcement we’ve added yet another derivative to the Intel SoFIA family, and we expect to have them all in market before the middle of 2015. We are moving with velocity to grow Intel’s offerings for the growing global tablet market.”

Intel is definitely not cutting down the number of cores, despite the products using these being advertised as low-cost. On top of that, the inclusion of a 3G module on the chip will lead to a new age of Android tablets.

On the other hand, Min Li, Rockchip CEO, added that “We are always looking for innovative ways to differentiate our product portfolio, and the first-of-its-kind collaboration with Intel helps us do this. The combination of Intel’s leading architecture and modem technology with our leading mobile design capability brings greater choice to the growing global market for mobile devices in the entry and value segments.”

People seem to have mixed feelings about this news. Some claim that Rockchip and Intel are similar to cats and dogs who are now living together, probably suggesting that the two would be better off competing each other rather than collaborating. Others are convinced that Rockchip must have done a lot of lobbying to end up in such a partnership. Not at last, there are people who are anxious to see what low-cost SoCs Intel and Rockchip will reveal next year.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Asus Nexus 8 with Intel chipset that might be launched this year, and the SD-card-sized Intel Edison.

CES LIVE: Sony CEO Delivers Keynote


Sony CEO Kazuo “Kaz” Hirai is set to deliver today’s keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at 8:30 a.m. Pacific time. Refresh this page to see updates. 8:35: Gary Shapiro, head of...
    






CES Live: Intel CEO Brian Krzanich Delivers Opening Keynote


Intel CEO Brian Krzanich is set to deliver the pre-show keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time. Refresh this page to see live updates. “6:27 p.m....
    






Intel Acquires ST-Ericsson GPS Business


Intel announced on Tuesday that the company has acquired the GPS chip business division of ST-Ericsson. GNSS, the global navigation satellite system run by ST-Ericsson, is a joint venture of the two...
    


Brian Krzanich takes the reins at Intel today

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Today's the day, trivia fans, when "Paul Otellini" stops being the answer to the question "Who is the CEO of Intel?" A fortnight ago, after a prolonged bout of speculation, current COO Brian Krzanich was anointed as the Silicon Valley giant's sixth leader -- giving him a mere two weeks to order a new desk and buy a fancier sports car. He'll be joined by Renée James, who is assuming the mantle of company president today. The pair is taking control of a company that is top of the PC food chain, but which has yet to mount a credible challenge to ARM's mobile dominance -- but the strategic stuff can wait until tomorrow, once they've settled in.

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