Intel® Remote Wake Keeps Snoozing Home PCs Ready

Intel Corp. has created a new line of motherboards that would allow a computer to be awakened from sleep mode to perform such tasks as receiving a phone call over the Internet or downloading a digital television show.

Now the world's largest microprocessor-maker hopes to convince computer-makers that consumers will want desktop PCs built around its Remote Wake motherboards, which should be available soon. Without this wake-up feature, PCs have to be left on in order to take calls or perform downloads, which burns energy and costs money.

"This is certainly something we're taking seriously," said Intel spokesman George Alfs.

Alfs said the genesis of the wake-up feature came from business customers. The technology was originally designed into business PCs that are part of corporate networks and was developed so that network managers could awaken PCs during the night to update their software.
Now, Intel's consumer division is trying to build the remote-wake capability into ordinary desktop PCs, and to demonstrate its potential uses has teamed with software firms like Jajah of Mountain View, which would be the first Internet telephone company to use Remote Wake to rouse a sleeping PC for an incoming call.

Intel also tapped Orb Networks in Emeryville to demonstrate how its software - which allows users to remotely download songs, photos, videos or other data - could be used in conjunction with the feature. Orb spokesman Ron Perrotta said the technology provides the ability to leave the PC in a low energy-consumption sleep mode and awaken it from afar in order to do something like download music files from home to an Internet-enabled mobile phone.

"Your computer can be asleep when you're asleep, and you can download without it being left on," said Robert Levitan, chief executive of peer-to-peer site Pando of New York, another Intel partner.

Please watch a demo of Intel® Remote Wake Technology.