Intel Future Showcase: 2015 looks great
We got invited to attend the Intel Future Showcase recently and saw some tech that'll be landing in your hands very soon as well as some that might not be available till much later. Either way, it's worth it to read our impressions of some of the tech we saw.
The future is looking bright
Intel had the very first Intel Future Showcase on Friday at the Carlton hotel and they invited us over for a look at what the company has that's coming to stores, will be coming to stores and might be coming to stores. Intel groups them into three separate categories; Today, Tomorrow and Future. We bring to you a sample of what Intel showed us earlier.
Today
In this section, we show you some of the products from the Today portion of the event. Those in this section are products that are already available or will be available soon.
Basis Health Tracker and Basis Peak
This is the original Basis. But it's since been replaced by a new, model.
Earlier this year, Intel acquired the Basis, a fitness wearable maker. You might have seen something similar to the Basis Health Tracker (after all, fitness wearables are all the rage now) from other companies and in that regard, the Basis Health Tracker doesn't really have anything that other devices don't. The one in the picture above is the original Basis, which has seen been replaced by the newer one seen below, called the Basis Peak. Sadly, Intel doesn't have plans on releasing the second generation Basis here (it didn't launch the first one here either) and the only way to get them for now is if you import. It'll set you back US$200, and releases on the 25th of this month. The current editions don't run on Intel hardware, but one day, Intel might just be powering these wearable devices.
The new Basis, the Basis Peak, on sale next week in the US if you want to get it.
SMS Audio Biosport Earbuds
The earbuds are available now online.
The SMS Audio Biosport earbuds looks no different from normal in-ear earbuds but they actually have a tiny sensor unit attached to each piece. It uses the RunKeeper app from your smart device, with all the data it records visible on that app. One interesting feature of the app is that you can actually set specific music to your heart beats. So if you're working out and your heart's racing, you could set the app to play 'Heart of the Tiger' as you work out. The SMS Audio Biosport is already available for sale online for US$149.95.
The sensor that means your heartbeat gets the reading from your ear.
Intel Galileo development board and Intel Edison - Making Wearable and IoT development easier
Intel Galileo development board on the left and the Intel Edison development board on the right.
The wearable tech industry is going into full swing with the first wave of of devices like fitness trackers and smart watches flooding the market and propelling the possibilities of tomorrow such as the bigger picture of the connected world with the Internet of Things (IoT) where basically anything and everything is connected to the cloud. To support the next wave of portable computing with wearables and IoT-like devices, Intel announced a new line on system on chip (SoC) products with the Quark family. One-fifth the size of the current Intel Atom based on the Silvermont microarchitecture, the Quark consumes only one-tenth its power needs. In the words of Intel, Quark is also "fully synthesizable with an open architecture, with an open ecosystem."
Seen in the above photo are actual development boards based on the Quark SoCs that allow basically anyone to develop ideas and products for the IoT or wearables segment. The larger Galileo development board comes complete with all the hardware features like Ethernet, USB, microSD and more which makes this more readily usable for development. It is Intel's first product in collaboration with Arduino. Arduino is a leading open-source hardware platform manufacturer for the hobbyist and education communities. More information of the Galileo development board in our earlier news piece here. Meanwhile, the Edison development board is an even smaller package that has a newer and faster dual-core Atom SoC processor, wireless communications IC and flash memory to make it a completely usable system on its own. However, it doesn't have the fan-out connectivity and hardware interfaces and thus if you're using an Edison development board, one would need to also design the hardware interface board. This is suitable for custom design solutions, but will of course cost more to get it going.
Intel shared that the complete Galileo development board costs somewhere around US$50 where Edison costs about US$60. As such, you can see why the Galileo kit is more readily adoptable for the purpose of development and testing ideas.
One simple showcase of deploying the Galileo board was this implementation that connects to a bubble making toy which 'listens' to tweets made on the net using the #intelfutureshowcase hashtag. Whenever it senses such a tweet, it will power up the toy for a predefined period and shower us with bubbles.
Intel Education 2-in-1 reference design rugged computing
Announced in April's Intel Global Solutions Summit, Intel showcased new low cost reference designs for the education sector to capitalize on the current trend of 2-in-1 computing devices. Also built for ruggedness, this new education tablet can revolutionize learning for millions of students worldwide. For more details of the system, tune in to our earlier article. While the reference design has already been deployed and is manufactured by ECS, we've not really had a chance to have hands-on with it till now:-
The Windows 8.1-powered Classmate PC is a 10-inch tablet with a removable keyboard dock powered by an Intel Celeron N2806 processor.
This education tablet is pretty well built and feels tough. In fact, it's shock tested to withstand drops from up to 70cm. We had a go by dropping it from chest level and it worked without any concerns thereafter. The tablet and keyboard base are both IP51 rated, giving them good resistance against dust and a small degree of protection against water (like splashes and rain).
Notice that the ports are concealed behind a seal. Video output, memory card, headphone jack and USB 3.0 ports are available.
Paired with its keyboard base, the handle provides an excellent way of transporting the device around. Also if you notice carefully, NFC connectivity is also supported as the tagging area is labelled clearly on the rear of the device.
Tomorrow
The second of Intel's three different sections, Tomorrow deals with tech that Intel has working and is already in the final (or near final stages of testing). The models we saw were just working prototypes and some of them didn't even have official model names yet but that doesn't diminish their potential one bit.
The Next-gen NUC
Meet the future of Intel's NUC initiative, powered by a Bay Trail-T SoC processor.
Intel's branding of their pint-sized powerhouse, the Next Unit of Computing (NUC), has been quite a success in a bid to change the mindset of both the enterprise and consumers that a PC doesn't have to be a big beige/black box anymore and PC engineering has come a long way to enable really small and power small form factor systems. While it has seen several iterations since the first edition of this palm-sized PC, Intel seems persistent to showcase that x86 computing is possible in a tremendously small form factor such as this new PC on a stick.
It's doesn't yet have a formal name and it may or may not be part of the NUC family, but what we do know is that it's running off an Intel Bay Trail-T SoC Intel Atom Z3000 processor. It will certainly have less muscle than a desktop/notebook oriented computing components outfitted in an NUC, but with ever more powerful mobility solutions, the Bay Trail-T SoC is more than sufficient to run everyday Windows tasks and then some more. This stick based system directly hooks to your monitor or TV via HDMI and draws power through USB. However, in its current form, USB 2.0 doesn't supply enough juice on its own and thus is powered by a USB power adapter. However, Intel was quick to point out that later variants will likely move on to support the new reversible USB Type-C connectors (compatible with USB 3.1 standards), which will be able to supply enough power via USB alone.
This little stick PC has built-in Wi-Fi connectivity to interface with your wireless devices, an SD card reader and triple USB ports (one to connect for power, and another two for other uses). In essence, this is a full fledged plug-and-play PC. It's most certainly pocket-able and is definitely more compact than AMD's nano PC form factor.
Perhaps 7-11 or petrol kiosks might eventually stock this on their counters so that consumers can get their computing fix on the move just as easy as getting essentials like bread, biscuits or condoms. It's also targeted for uses such as digital signage and in any other cramped areas that needs the full power of a PC on a stick. Here's a few more photos of it and stay tuned for its availability sometime in the early part of 2015:-
Notice the twin USB connections on this profile along with a power button while the other profile has yet another USB port and a microSD card reader.
Here's how the new new stick PC compares with existing forms of Intel NUC devices. The hot pink system is one of Intel's internal projects to fulfill specific OEM needs and it's not a commercial NUC system, but it's brought out here for comparisons as it's the small NUC next to the upcoming PC on a stick system.
Floating Display
We're not at the stage yet where we have true 3D holograms, but the floating display is definitely a step in the right direction.
Remember when we told you about the Dell Smart Desk? The Floating Display is something like that but it's more of a display piece of tech instead of a desk. The prototype's big and bulky but it's already very impressive. It uses come reflections and special tech (including the new RealSense 3D cameras) to trick your eyes into seeing the display in 3D, but without the need for glasses, similar to what Nintendo did with the 3DS. What's impressive is that the camera reads your movements and then translates it into commands. In this prototype, the 3D image of your hands is superimposed over your real ones. You can literally manipulate the 3D object you're looking at like it's a real object. Movement is replicated 1:1, with zero input lag.
We apologize for the blurry image but there is literally no way to show you a perfect image since it's in 3D. This is what you would've have seen if you were there.
Wireless Charging Bowl
Just chuck whatever fits into it and the bowl will charge it up (well, only if it's chargeable).
This is one of the things that causes you go 'Huh?' when you hear it but then makes perfect sense afterwards. In this case, it's a literal wireless charging bowl. using Rezence technology, the bowl will charge any compatible gadget that's placed into it without the need for wires. Previously, wireless charging were all 1:1, which means you have a single gadget that can be charged at a time for a single wireless charging base (or two or three if the base has specific slots). Intel's changed this by letting you charge as many objects as a time as you want. While the bowl is something that will see production in some shape or form in 2015, Intel also showed up with a bigger version of it.
The big version can charge through nearly any surface (except metal) and like the charging bowl, has no limits on how many devices it can charge. Right now, Intel is working with government agencies in trying to get permission to try out this tech at public places. So who knows, one day, you might just be standing in a charging area while waiting for a train or bus.
The red area is where the energy is concentrated but the whole mat can be filled with charging capability. One thing to note, the wireless charger is not the mat itself (it just shows the energy output area), but rather, the base underneath it.
Scavenger bot
The scavenger bot is an augmented reality app with potentially amazing real world application. Using a RealSense 3D camera, you can take a 3D snapshot of whatever you want. The snapshot will then be generated in 3D and you can navigate a teeny bot around.
Every single object here will be rendered in 3D using the RealSense 3D camera.
There's the bot. While the image on-screen may look like video, it's actually rendered in real time in 3D.
Impressive isn't it? Now imagine this being used to rescue trapped survivors after an earthquake. Strap a camera onto a remote vehicle, and then record the area in 3D to see what's going on under ruined buildings. Or say you get into an accident and need proof of the severity of the damage. Snap a picture and you have a 3D image. The images you record with the RealSense 3D cameras can also be exported into design software. So if you're a budding 3D artist, you can pretty much forget about modelling most objects. You just need to take a picture of them and then you can manipulate them in 3D.
Llama Mountain 2-in-1 reference design
The Llama Mountain platform will come in two varieties, a 12.5-inch tablet and a 10-inch version.
At first glance, the Llama Mountain looks similar to other transformable notebooks on the market now. But take a closer look and you'll find that the Llama Mountain is an engineering advancement over current 2-in-1 devices. First revealed at Computex 2014, we managed to get a closer look of this platform in this showcase. It's incredibly slim at just 7.2mm thin for the Intel Core M powered 12.5-inch convertible notebook. With a Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440 pixels resolution) display, it's complemented by an equally thin, detachable keyboard that also functions as a dock. By itself, the tablet portion weighs around 670 grams. There's also a 10-inch version of the tablet and it's even lighter, weighing at a measly 550 grams and only 6.8mm thin! Naturally, these are fan-less designs that take advantage of the ultra low power characteristics of the new Intel Core M processors that power the bulk of these devices. You'll likely hear more of these new slim-line products at the CES 2015 expo in January, so stay tuned!
Future
The final part of the Intel Future Showcase showed us what Intel envisions our future tech will be like. For the most part it's nothing we haven't heard bits and pieces about from different companies. Intel just seems to be one of the first to try to put them together.
Personal Vehicle Experience
A succinct summary of what Intel envisions the Personal Vehicle Experience to be.
Take the Personal Vehicle Experience as an example. In the future, Intel envisions cities all around the world will have a centralized server that keeps everybody's data. Couple that with smart devices in cars and other gadgets, the data can be used in multiple ways. One of them is security. Apparently, each of us have a unique gait to our walk and Intel theorizes that this could be as identifiable as fingerprints or DNA. So, in the future, keys might just be a relic of the past. Your property could automatically unlock just by seeing you approach. Like in the personal vehicle experience.
The car of the future will be filled with smart screens. From a HUD that shows you traffic light timers, to GPS that keep your preferred routes, even the passenger can customize their side of the car with their own personal display.
It doesn't stop at identifying you for security reasons. In the cars of the future, Intel also envisions them as smart machines, hooked to the centralized server (Smart City is what Intel is calling it). When you're identified, every piece of info about you that's on the server gets downloaded to the car's systems. That means your music playlist, where you like to eat, routes you usually take, basically anything it finds relevant. Everything is downloaded. You could be driving somebody else's car but personalized to your mannerisms and quirks. An analogy to this is how Google Now brings you personalized and relevant information based on your preferences, searches and location when you need it and all of this is tied in to your Google Account. If you were to change your phone/tablet, once you log in to the device, Google Now works just as if you never made any changes. Likewise in the corporate environment where hot-desking is increasing resource usage efficiency and flexibility of working at any administered place within the organization, your virtual work desk follows you wherever you log in to these systems.
The Smart City system not only downloads data, it also keeps an eye on your driving. If you receive an email or text while driving, the car will alert you to it via a HUD on the windscreen. But instead of flashing it while you're driving, the system will wait till you have ample rest time before it shows it to you. The example we were shown had the driver waiting at a traffic light to change to green. There's a handy on-board HUD that shows the driver how much time he has left to wait so he knows exactly when he can start to move again. During this idle moment, the car senses that the driver will be free for a short duration, so it shows him the message he received earlier.
The system also acts as a built-in safety feature. Erratic driving is immediately detected and corrected. In the demo we were given, the driver suddenly accelerates without warning. Instead of allowing the car to continue on and keep gaining speed, the system actually slows the driver down. While this would definitely need more tweaking to make sure it doesn't happen by mistake (say if you're just cruising on the open road), it can also potentially reduce the rate of injuries. Drunk driving can be eradicated practically overnight, as well as numerous other accident types.
While we're not sure we'd want a centralized server like the Smart City to know everything about us (what if it gets hacked?), we can appreciate the concept and see its potential in making our lives safer and easier.
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