The words “Intel” “Android” haven’t always been synonymous with one another, but Intel’s hoping to change that. The Dell Venue 8 7000, which uses Intel C showcases the Intel RealSense camera technology, is one of the first examples of this renewed effort, but it’s just a glimpse at what’s to come.

In an effort to get a bit more perspective on Intel’s future as an Android player, we talked to exis Crowell, the director of open source software marketing at Intel. Crowell couldn’t speak too openly about Intel’s plans for the future, but she did offer a bit of insight on how Intel sees itself as player in the open source space. And as a bonus, she’s a seasoned Android user herself.

: t’s start off with the loaded question: Is Intel really interested in Android? It’s spent so much time in the ndows world, though it’s dipped its toes in the Android pool here there, it never felt like it was truly committed to this particular market. y now?

Crowell: That’s a fair question. The reason my team exists is, quite honestly, for people to underst what we’re trying to do on Android why.

But I do want to back up a minute. at we’re also really trying to do is get the word out about what we’re doing with software in general. Intel has actually been an open source leader for the last 20 years. contribute across all of the major projects, we’re a top contributor to Android have been for the last few years, have helped develop the last few major components—Android the ART Android runtime— a lot of that was done at Intel in collaboration with .

have a huge team dedicated to ensuring Android runs flawlessly, seamlessly, as best as possible on top of Intel architecture. It’s something we’re trying to start talking about more more. didn’t have a massive foothold a few years ago in terms of silicon footprint, but now we do—we shipped 40 million tablets last year the bulk of those were Android.

: at percentage of those 40 million tablets that shipped last year were Android tablets?

Crowell: ’re not disclosing exact splits, but as you can see in the market, Android has taken off in terms of tablet marketshare. ’re pretty consistent with that. It was definitely over the majority.

: Okay, well let’s circle back to the original question: why the huge push for Android all of a sudden?

Crowell: Our philosophy as a corporation is to ensure that our customers [other manufacturers who ship products with Intel processors] can ship whatever operating system they want with our silicon so that the end-users—whether that’s business users, consumers, or educators—can have a fantastic experience.

As Android started to pick up, we were already involved in the nux kernel—it was a space that we really knew. As our customers grew in their desire to work with it, we grew our presence by working directly with those OEMs in terms of building designs, as well as the ecosystem. spent a lot of time with independent software vendors giving them tools…to ensure that the coding process is easier that apps can take advantage of the new hardware features we’re shipping. l of that started to culminate in the last three to four years in terms of where the momentum really picked up.

: So then, what’s the strategy to try to get more Android users to see Intel as a desirable br?

Crowell: There’s actually a full campaign that’s taking about the benefits of Intel Atom processors in tablets. That really kicked off last year as the tablet designs ramped up, you’ll see more more of that coming. rt of that campaign, too, is an awareness [of Intel-based tablets] that hasn’t really happened in the tablet market until now.

: y would someone choose an Intel-based tablet versus one with another processor?

Crowell: The number of designs the ability to choose different sensors…is exponential in this space, which makes it really fun because then the innovation can completely take off. However, it also makes it difficult from the perspective of fully integrating the silicon all the way to the industrial design. It takes people who are dedicated to make sure each one of those layers are working together really effectively.

In Android, there’s no one vertical player. Once you get out into the multinational corporations across the OEMs ODMs, you look at China small manufacturers that are taking off with some of their designs, there are parts that are a little more disparate in how they’re put together. at that means is that can lead to an experience that is less than ideal. So what we do— what we pride ourselves on as a corporation—is working with every single level to get that integration as tight as we can.

Our software experience is really what sets it apart. realize that we have fantastic performance, our battery life is comparable, our graphics are stunning, we have things like RealSense that doesn’t exist in some of the other tablets.

: Can you give us a quick rundown of what Intel’s trying to accomplish with RealSense?

Crowell: I can give you the high level.

There’s a couple of things with RealSense. The world is becoming so much more virtual in terms of what people are deming out of their devices, whether it’s their phone, their tablet, their laptop, or whatever, having the kind of camera [that can do what RealSense does] can help make that interaction much more real.

: But why not put this technology in a smartphone, where camera use is far more prevalent?

Crowell: It’s the place to start for us. I’m excited about what it opens up from an opportunity perspective.

: So, are you an Android user?

Crowell: I am. I can’t run an open source team not use Android! I’ve been using it for two–a-half years. I’ve used them all. I was even a ndows one user at one point. I’m a big believer that you need to underst what’s out there.

: at are you using now?

Crowell: I currently have three devices that I go back forth with. I’ve got a Nexus 6, the Oneus One, a Samsung Galaxy S4. I’m kind of embarrassed to say that, but I’m completely hooked to the case that I have.

: at is one app you absolutely can’t live without?

Crowell: My go-to is Evernote. It’s the one app that keeps me completely sane, though I actually recently picked up Rock My Run—it’s one of my new favorites