IDF Spring 2004: Day 2

Bill Siu's keynote was intended to show how Intel's silicon for mobile applications can help users adapt to a changing, more-globalized workplace. Different time zones and working places around the world are becoming a very normal thing to more and more people, and this is where Intel's mobility offensive comes in.

Florence Mobile Vision

The Florence family represents several mobile computers lines, aimed at different appliances: On the go (12"), virtual office (15") and the mobile entertainment PC (17"). These were presented by Anand Chandrasekher along with different host applications.

The 17" widescreen Florence vision comes with a fingerprint sensor (upper right) to get rid of the keyboard and to help make Windows log on faster.

All three Florence study systems come equipped with a little camera and an array of microphones, positioned horizontally at the upper border of the display. This multitude of microphones makes it possible to apply better noise correction algorithms and to better adjust for the physical location of the user when speaking.

What if several people speak at once? Is the user speaking to the computer or to somebody else? These application issues are also addressed.

Better understanding thanks to a number of microphones?