By Editor
Software and content extend Intel’s capability in the crucial education segment
Intel has introduced the Intel Education 2 in 1, its first-ever 2 in 1 education reference design, as the company steps up investment in education.
The new device, manufactured with ODM partner ECS, was showcased at the recently- concluded Intel Solutions Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Windows 8.1 Intel Education 2 in 1 comes in hybrid format, giving students the flexibility and mobility of a tablet plus the productivity of a laptop.
“We wanted a device for education that gave the flexibility of having a tablet with a stylus so that it becomes a good reading as well as a writing experience,” said John Galvin, VP Sales and Marketing Group and GM Intel Education. “Students have the flexibility to be able to move around the classroom with it and when they are doing keyboard-intensive work, they have the ability to snap it back on and have a full functionality of a laptop,” Galvin added.
The Education 2 in 1 is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom processor Z3740D, runs Windows 8.1, and provides up to 7.8 hours of battery life as a tablet and an optional 3 hours of additional battery life when docked to the keyboard. The Education 2 in 1 is one rugged device, able to withstand the inevitable drops (of up to 70 cm) as well as being water and dust resistant.
Extra add-ons include magnifying lenses that will snap onto the device turning the camera into a simple microscope and a thermal probe that that can be plugged into the hardware for an inexpensive temperature sensor. “The device is now available in the market and we are processing orders for our customers all over the world,” explained Galvin. “So overall, if we look at our family of core reference designs for education, all indications are that we have a real winner.”
And Intel is not stopping at the hardware, investing considerably in content and curriculum development as well. To this end, Intel last year acquired a US-based company called Kno providing Intel with a content aggregation platform.
“With this investment in content, we have the ability to provide educators around the world them with digital content that they need and a platform where we are able to work with publishers to be able to develop content faster,” said Galvin adding, “And this is not just the ability to turn a text book into a digital format, but really creating very rich digital content that has students really excited about being part of the learning process.”
And then there’s the software-for Intel, education goes beyond the hardware devices to include an integrated the software stack that comes bundled within the device.
“We start with the value proposition of an IT decision maker and offer a device that’s virus-and threat protected with McAfee Antivirus Plus. For the teacher, we provide an easy management process so that within the classroom, teachers being able to pass the content to student devices and bring the content back easily. For students, the applications make the device really feel like an education device,” Galvin said.
Intel, Galvin said, is all about providing students with the ability to learn in a way that’s best for them and using technology to be able to do just that. “We’ve developed several blue prints and case studies followed by worldwide deployments. We’ve documented these deployments as well, analysed the results and then finally made all this information available to our channel partners as well as the end users,” Galvin added.