Intel’s Curie chip to debut in low-priced Raspberry Pi competitor

Arduino 101 will be available in the first quarter of 2016 for approximately $30; the Intel-manufactured board will be sold under the Arduino 101 brand in the United States and under the Genuino 101 brand outside the United States. During a conference call with journalists before the board was announced, Melican acknowledged that there are other boards on the market for about the same price-$30-but said Intel’s Curie module adds a level of connectivity that isn’t seen on those other entry-level offerings.

Intel is officially stepping up its assault on the maker market, teaming up with Arduino to release a Curie-powered alternative to microcontroller development boards: the Genuino 101.

While the Curie chip is ridiculously small, Intel somehow managed to have it include Bluetooth LE, a six-axis sensor with gyroscope and accelerometer, and the 32-bit Quark micro-controller. With the availability of the Arduino/Genuino 101, the aim is to expand the CTC program to schools across the globe in the coming years. Curie could very well drive an array of next-gen wearable products that can integrate with our fashions, similar to the jacket button showed off at CES 2015. However, the previous device, the Intel Galileo, a microcontroller board with Arduino-compatible headers, was Arduino certified rather than being a branded Arduino. The Arduino 101 is supposed to be an easy to use board, and it is aimed at education sector.

The Arduino 101 might not be the flashy wearable device that Intel was first aiming for with the Curie chip, but it will do more good by helping to build students’ technology skills through projects in coding, collaborating and making. Don’t too excited about cramming an Intel x86 processor into an Arduino though: You’re obviously not going to get Intel Core i7 power or anything that comes close to a comparably priced Raspberry Pi. It has the advantage of not only built in Bluetooth but WiFi as well. It is however the limited availability of the Intel Curie module, and the fact that as of August 2015 it had not been authorized as required by the Federal Communications Commission, that have meant the Curie module itself hasn’t had the impact anticipated when it was launched.

Intel’s business has suffered as consumers and companies are buying fewer PCs, while more people are turning to smartphones and tablets that use chips made by Intel’s competitors.