Intel outlines our mobile future at IDF keynote

11.09.2012
Intel kicked off its Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco Tuesday showing off an , new gesture controls for PCs, and its newest Haswell Core processor aimed at the mobile PC market. Intel Chief Product Officer David (Dadi) Perlmutter lead the keynote and shared his vision for a connected future--powered by Intel, of course.

Perlmutter wasted little time and outlined how Intel was "redefining the computing experience" officially announcing its Haswell processor. The chip is the most power efficient processor Intel has built, Perlmutter said, and will allow thinner lighter notebooks with touchscreens, all-day battery life, and instant on functionality. He claimed the chip is 20 times more power efficient compared to its earlier Sandy Bridge notebook chip while at the same time increasing graphics performance two fold.

Intel's roadmap to "reinventing mobility", as Perlmutter put it, also includes speech, touch, and gesture interfaces for Ultrabooks, PCs, and a bevy of mobile devices. Perlmutter said Intel is working on delivering a "true interactive experience across all devices." The goal is to give computers human-like senses, he said.

Gesture-friendly PCs

Perlmutter then demonstrated speech recognition software maker Nuance's Dragon Assistant software running on a Dell Ultrabook. The demo was similar to Apple's voice assistance technology Siri. Perlmutter said Ultrabooks equipped with Dragon Assistant Beta will be available later this year.

Perlmutter also showed off hand gesture control of games and applications running on a PC equipped with a small Creative Technology camera and software developed by SoftKinectic, . Perlmutter said Intel would be releasing a software developers kit that would help PC and device makers incorporate speech, facial recognition, and hand gestures. To help spur innovation, Intel is doling out $1 million in awards to developers who come up with the best ideas for its SDK.