Intel is dishing out a total of $29,000 in cash prizes to Android developers in an effort to encourage coders to write games for tablets and smartphones using Intel chips. Developers are expected to provide a short background and technical information about the game as part of the contest, details of which can be found on Code Project’s website. Users can also provide a brief description of the code used in the game, which can be tested in an Android 4.0.4 emulator available on Intel’s website.
Intel will hand out a grand prize of $25,000, and prizes of $1,000 per month over the four months the contest runs. The contest started earlier this month and runs through Nov. 6 this year. The entries will be judged by a panel selected by Code Project, and results will be announced by Nov. 13.
The tablet and smartphone markets are dominated by ARM processors, and most programs are written for that architecture. Intel has been trying to establish a beachhead in the mobile device market, and the first smartphones with Intel’s x86 chips were released earlier this year by Lenovo, Lava International, and Orange. Intel also offers chips for tablets and is scheduled to release a new tablet chip code-named Clover Trail later this year, though it has not yet detailed when Android will work with the chip.
Graphics isn’t a strong suit in Intel’s chips when compared to competing chips from companies like Nvidia. But mobile gaming is seen as a growth market, with companies like Apple and Asus releasing tablets with high-resolution that provide a strong visual experience.
Most of the applications written for the Google Play market are written for ARM processors. Many of the programs such as Angry Birds are compatible with Intel chips in smartphones and tablets, but Intel is trying to get more developers in the fold to write applications for Intel Inside smartphones.