Intel just made their most important innovation announcement in years. Edison. This Edison isn't a person, but it sure is a genius. It's essentially a tiny computer crammed into the size and shape of an SD card. This means something smaller and smarter is headed your way. The company considers Edison to be a breakthrough technology for the 'Internet of Things' generation we are in. By making an ordinary object 'smart', Edison endows them with built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and ability to support various operating systems. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich says it is hoped these miniature computers will be utilized in smart wearables sometime after its mid-2014 release.

 
The major struggle seen in wearables today is that they aren't fully integrated into our lifestyle, therefore they aren't quite smart enough to solve real problems. Moreover, there is a lot of bulk associated with wearables, making your typical smart gadget bigger and clunkier than necessary. "Our goal is, if something computes and connects, it does best with Intel inside", says Krzanich. Intel Edison is expected to enable quick innovation and product development by allowing entrepreneurs, product designers, small manufacturers, and inventors to hop on board. Once the engineering innovation challenge of 'making wearables smarter' is broken, we will begin to see more and more products with connected smarts and sensors. If successful, a huge rise in the wearables market would be anticipated. This, more or less, is what most manufacturers have been waiting for.

 
The brains inside Edison include a dual-core Quark CPU, 500mb of RAM, and a Linux operating system. Besides the Wi-Fi connectivity mentioned, it also supports Bluetooth LTE, flash storage, and an integrated app store. The Mimo Baby monitor, a "smart nursery ecosystem", is a perfect example of Edison's intelligence being put to use. While virtually a onesie with a removable turtle-shaped sensor clip-on, inside the clip-on lies the Edison. A range of vitals, such as heart rate and temperature, can be monitored and then sent back to the parents via smartphone app. It can even sync up to a "smart milk bottle" warmer, in queue for when the baby has woken up. However, consumers may have to wait until 2015 to get their hands on the Mimo Baby monitor.

 
As the hardware brain in the operation, Intel really has just one job, to release Edison. The next step will be companies stepping up to the plate to utilize Edison and manufacture the goods. The positive news is, while reducing size and cost of products, functionality will increase with Edison's processing power. With all this in mind, Intel is "counting on Edison to jumpstart the market of wearable tech; at CES it announced partnerships with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and major US retailers Barneys New York and Opening Ceremony". When asked, Intel could not confirm a price range for the Edison chip. But one thing is clear, Intel bringing Edison's size and functionality couldn't arrive at a better time. It has been said for a while now that our appliances, gadgets, and wearables will soon fit into the upcoming era of 'smart'. Well, thanks Edison! You just may kick this transition into high gear.