Brian Krzanich, Intel Corp.’s CEO, pointed the chip maker’s future in the wearable technology market at the 2014 International Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, by showing off a SD card-sized PC called the Edison and a bevy of prototype wearable computing devices.
Krzanich made his presentation at the opening of CES yesterday to highlight the company’s readiness to deliver chips for the growing wearable tech space.
There was hardly a traditional PC in sight during the Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) presentation, noted the online technology publication, Computerworld.com.
Krzanich showed the Edison, which is the successor of Intel’s embedded processor Quark, clipped to baby’s “onesie” outfit that had sensors to monitor an infant’s temperature, pulse and breathing.
The Edison is also able to broadcast a baby’s vital signs to its parents.
Edison is a full Pentium class PC made to fit onto a device the size of an SD card, said the Intel executive. It is based on Intel’s 22-nanometer Quark system-on-chip. It runs a full Linux operating system and has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Power.
Edison will be available to developers by mid-2104.
The popularity of wearable technology is being held back by the failure of some devices to “integrate what you want” and the need to have the devices paired with another machine, said Krazanich.
He also exhibited an Intel earbud with a built in sensor that measures a runner’s heart rate. Although it needs to be connected to the headphone jack of a smart phone for power, the earbud does not have to be worn with a chest strap.
Also on display was Intel’s version of the smartwatch. Unlike smartwatches from other manufacturers, this device has a built in communication feature. It does not need to be paired with a smart phone.
Find out more about Intel’s wearables here