Intels Unison App Syncs IOS And Android Phones With Your PC
© Image: Intel Unison syncs photos and more.Intel has announced an intriguing new app called Unison that aims to seamlessly connect Intel-based PCs to smartphones, not just Android phones, but iOS devices as well.
In what Intel calls a "simple pairing process," the Unison program will allow the computer to replicate the four basic functions of a connected phone. They can answer and make calls; you can share photos and files (photos taken by the phone will be displayed in a special Unison gallery on the computer); they can send and receive SMS; and they can receive (and in some cases respond to) notifications that the phone receives, even when Unison is closed, they will be sent to the Windows Action Center.
“The benefit we can offer to the user of a well-designed Windows PC is that they don't have to select a device based on what kind of PC they have. They have an iPhone, they have an Android phone, any device they want to use can connect with this feature,” Josh Newman, Intel vice president and general manager of mobile innovation, told The Verge . "If you're ... on your laptop and get notifications or text messages on your phone, you can put it in your pocket and get right back to your workflow."
iOS users, Newman said, may notice "slight differences" from the experience of Android owners using Unison, but the core functionality will remain the same. First of all, Newman says, iPhone users won't have access to some of the more advanced messaging features, including one-way messaging, unlike Android users.
Initially, Unison will have a fairly limited version, launching this year on "select Intel Evo laptops" with 12th-gen processors from Acer, HP, and Lenovo. Next year, Intel plans to expand the functionality of several models of the 13th generation.
Some manufacturers, such as Samsung, already have features that can provide a fairly smooth experience between their computers and mobile devices. But it still looks like an interesting development for Intel, which has recently battled Apple and AMD chips in several categories (and was, of course, kicked out of Apple PCs altogether). Traditionally, the big selling point of the MacBook for iPhone users has been device connectivity. The ability to receive text messages and reminders on a MacBook can be extremely convenient for an iOS user.
Unison can take advantage of this by giving iPhone owners (as well as Android owners who are unsure of the manufacturer) access to the Intel-based Windows PC version of these benefits.
