Intel wants to make mark on Android via Devs, OEMs

Intel is joining the push for a better Android experience. At their Developers Forum today, the company announced a slew of things meant to better the Android platform, with a strong lean towards the tablet experience. Perhaps a natural fit for the larger platform, Intel is announcing a new chipset, and a challenge to all OEMs and Developers.

The Intel Reference Design for Android program is meant as a way to bring great hardware and software together on a broad scale. Via their announcement, Intel says this will "help scale the deployment process of Android for tablet manufacturers by providing the software engineering work, streamlined access to Google Mobile Services, as well as support for updates and upgrades to future Android releases." It's not clear if this is aimed at flagship tablets as well as mid-tier offerings, but a solid foundation for Android tablets would be a nice thing to have.

Intel is doing the same for wearables, with their new Analytics for Wearables program. The goal is to accelerate the production and distribution of wearable apps, backed by "data-driven intelligence." Intel will provide data to help Developers create better apps for wearables, deployed via the cloud and optimized for Intel chip architecture.

With a strong lean into wearables, Intel is also announcing their new Edison chipset is ready to ship. The chip, which is about the size of a postage stamp, is Intel's method for simplifying the design process, all while increasing durability and cutting cost for OEMs. It also provides an inroad for Intel to Android Wear, a growing platform that could use a standard.