Intel's CES 2015 is all about wearables, as the company shows off Curie, a low-power button-size module designed for wearables-- meaning clothing with built-in computing smarts, as well as devices such as fitness trackers and smartwatches.
“With this [vendors] can deliver wearables in a range of form factors," CEO Brian Krzanich says at the Intel CES keynote. "Rings, bags, bracelets, pendants, and yes, even the buttons on our jackets.”
The Curie module consists of a low-power 32-bit Quark microcontroller, 384kB of flash memory, motion sensors, Bluetooth LE radio and battery-charging capabilities. Meant for always-on applications, it should be suitable for devices either forwarding notifications or tracking user activity. Chipzilla will also provide Viper, a real-time open-source software solution for developers wanting to take advantage of the Curie platform.
To further push such ambitions Intel announced a "strategic wearables collaboration" with sunglasses maker Oakley, one set to "fuse premium, luxury and sports eyewear with smart technology." How so? According to Oakley the first such product will be a means to track and enhance athlete performance.
Also seen during keynote is Nixie, the 2014 "Make it Wearable" challenge winner Nixie. Essentially a flying wearable camera, the Nixie device rests on wearers' wrists like a bracelet, before unfolding and flying on cue in order to snap a selfie or three.
One final CES announcement has Intel pledging to reach to reach full representation of women and minorities in its workforce by 2020 via $300 million investment in a 5-year recruitment, retainment and training program.
"We're calling on our industry to again make the seemingly impossible possible by making a commitment to real change and clarity in our goals," Krzanich says. "Without a workforce that more closely mirrors the population, we are missing opportunities, including not understanding and designing for our own customers."
