Technology Taking Us to Unexpected Places

The annual Intel Developer Forum kicks into gear in San Francisco Sept. 13-15, and we’ll all get a fresh jolt of news and insights into the very latest and future technologies. Watch for what’s next with the 2011 Intel Core chip line-up, “system on chip” inventions powered by the Intel® Atom™ processor, and how human experience is blended with cutting edge chip design and manufacturing to create a future where smarter, connected computing devices know us better and improve our efficiency and productivity so we can enjoy the best things in life.

But first, let’s take a brief pause before we gather with more than 5,000 technology industry leaders, hardware and software engineers and media. Here’s a look around at some innovations we’re seeing today:

Intel Core and Growth Engines

Intel CEO Paul Otellini will set the tone for IDF Monday morning by highlighting several trends that will drive future industry growth. These trends and technologies include the proliferation of what many predict to be billions of Internet-connected devices that will complement all of those laptops and PCs we use, along with Intel offerings that emphasize wireless connectivity, security and energy-efficient performance. He will also describe how these trends will shape the industry’s direction and the ability to deliver a more useful, seamless Internet experience across any Intel processor-based device. Otellini’s discussion of the expanding ‘computing continuum’ will be followed by remarks from Executive Vice President Dadi Perlmutter focusing on the benefits consumers and businesses will derive from Intel’s forthcoming flagship product code-named Sandy Bridge. The Sandy Bridge chip design will deliver unprecedented innovation and integration to drive exciting changes in performance, media capabilities and more stylish designs in PCs. The new processor, which will be in production later this year, will also have some surprising graphics technologies that will offer a stunning visual experience, built right into Intel’s processors.

Intel Inside PC and Beyond

On Tuesday attention turns to the Intel Atom processor. Renee James, the head of Intel’s Software and Services Group, will describe how software is becoming increasingly important to Intel’s overall business, and the strategic work her group is doing to enable Intel’s success beyond the PC – in netbooks, smartphones, embedded devices and consumer electronics. Look for news on Intel’s AppUp Center and MeeGo efforts. Doug Davis, VP and General Manager of Intel’s Embedded and Communications Group, will later discuss the initial success the Atom processor has seen in a wide range of innovative uses and product segments from Smart TVs and voting machines used in the jungles of Brazil to Minority Report-like digital signage advertising and in-vehicle entertainment.

Putting People Research Inside Technology

The forum will conclude with a look at the future of computing and R&D by Senior Fellow Justin Rattner, the head of Intel Labs. Rattner will outline how user experiences and the new ways people are interacting with their computing devices are shaping Intel’s R&D agenda. Mind reading? Wireless battery recharging? Absolutely. In what is traditionally one of the most thought provoking talks of IDF, Rattner will predict how technology will be used in the future by describing how the average consumer will interact with high tech devices in the year 2020.

AppUp Developers Unite

Following IDF, software developers will get together to network, share best practices and spur the creation of applilcations that take advantage of Intel tools that optimize performance for Intel processors. The Intel AppUp Elements event is a freeform gathering that will feature actor and writer Will Wheaton and panels with bloggers with expertise in laptops, netbooks, tablets, handheld and other mobile devices, including people like Steve “Chippy” Paine from CarryPad, Sascha Pellenberg and Nicole Scott from Netbooknews.com, Hubert Nguyen from Ubergizmo, Xavier Lanier form Notebooks.com and jkkmobile.

If you’re on Twitter, please tune into the Intel Developer Forum experience at @IDF. If you’re at the forum and want to meet, hit me up @kenekaplan.