Intel Corp. introduced a new mobile-messaging app Thursday called 'Pocket Avatars' for Android and iOS that lets users talk to friends through 3D avatars.
The avatars are able to track facial expressions with the smartphone's camera, according to PC Magazine. Users can also combine facial expressions and voices to create personalized video messages for friends, which can be as long as 15 seconds and then send them by text, email, or post to social media services.
"Proprietary facial gesture software used by the app is based on years of research by Intel Labs. It is also the result of collaboration between Intel experts in clients, servers, message delivery, Web programming, 3-D tracking, modeling, animation and video rendering, who came together to enable this unique experience," Intel stated.
The company said it created Pocket Avatars to show that it can do more than just make chips, CNET reported.
The app is available now in Google and Apple's app stores in the U.S. and Canada.
"People just don't know how much software we actually do that's in the devices you carry that are based on Intel chips," Mike Bell, general manager of the New Devices Group at Intel, said at a launch event. "So we thought this was a great way to say, 'Hey, look at the cool stuff we actually do ' "
"This isn't a one-off, this isn't a publicity stunt, this is something we're serious about," he added. "We're going to try lots of new businesses like this."
The app is able to take a user's voice, smiles, blinks, head movements and other expressions to create various avatars, including a lion and a devil.
Pocket Avatars is free, and comes with a total of 40 different avatars, PC Magazine reported. While some of the avatars come with no price tag, others cost $0.99 to download. Managment of many well-known brands, such as Care Bears, Lego Characters and Gobo from "Fraggle Rock," are currently trying out the app.
