Intel prepares ultra-small chips for Dick Tracy-style gadgets

Intel is working on a new line of ultra-small and ultra-low-power microchips for wearable devices like smartwatches and bracelets, a bid by the company to make sure it will be at the crest of the next big technology wave after arriving late to the smartphone and tablet revolution. The new line of chips, called Intel Quark, will ship next year and include an ingestible version aimed at biomedical uses, Intel's president, Renee James, told reporters late on Sept 10.
The Quark chips will be five times smaller and 10 times more power efficient than Intel's Atom chips for tablets and smartphones, she said. "We're very committed to not missing the next big thing," James said.
The world's biggest chipmaker, Intel dominates the PC industry, but it was slow to adapt its chips to be suitable for smartphones and tablets.  Intel's focus on wearable computing - a trend that for many Americans evokes images of Dick Tracy, the comic strip detective who sported a two-way wrist radio - comes as Silicon Valley eyes sophisticated computerised watches with touch-screens and other high-tech features.