Intel's always-listening Jarvis headset unveiled at CES 2014 is similar to Apple's Siri, Google Now, and even Google Glass without the display. It's a personal assistant meant to be by your side all the time, able to have a conversation. But to differentiate itself from the competition, Intel wants the Jarvis to work in all conditions.

In an interview with Quartz, Intel head of wearables Mike Bell said all voice recognition and artificial intelligence on the Jarvis headset will be done offline, no internet required.

“How annoying is it when you’re in Yosemite and your personal assistant doesn’t work because you can’t get a wireless connection?” Bell said. Instead of sending information to remote servers like Siri and Google Now, the Jarvis will use Intel's new Edison mini computer to do all the language processing right behind the ear. This will allow for a faster response time, all the time.

It's not clear when Jarvis will be released, but it probably won't be soon, given the technology Bell is suggesting is pretty advanced for such a small piece of hardware. The wearables chief said the ultimate goal is to hold an offline conversation with a device, and not rely on the cloud to slowly serve up answers.

Bell told Quartz that Intel is working to sell its voice recognition technology to smartphone-makers. If Intel's previous products are any indication, the Jarvis probably won't come to market, and instead be a concept device for manufacturers to follow to take on Apple and Google Now.