Microsoft and NVIDIA are working together to optimize Windows CE for Tegra-based Smartbooks, with NVIDIA exec Mike Rayfield describing Android as having a “rough user interface”. Windows CE, meanwhile, has a “low memory footprint and a good collection of apps” and “is a rock-solid operating system that has been shipped billions of times” claimed the general manager for NVIDIA’s mobile business unit.
After the cut: 1080p Tegra Smartbooks and more on the Tegra Zune HD rumors
It doesn’t take much to differentiate your netbook, what with most sharing the same hardware, so Pegatron have managed to surprise and delight by slapping Yahoo!, Google, MSN and Skype keys on their Vivid prototype. To be honest, though, they didn’t need to bother: all they needed to highlight was the fact that this is one of the rare machines with NVIDIA’s Tegra chipset.
Video demo after the cut
Rumors that Microsoft were eying up the NVIDIA Tegra platform for an upcoming smartphone have circulated for some time now, but it seems the company’s new PMP may have beaten the cellphones to it. According to PC Perspective, NVIDIA have confirmed that the Zune HD will use the Tegra chipset for its 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen and 720p HDMI output.
We’ve had a busy week here at SlashGear, with news from two shows – games-expo E3 and Computex – together with the arrival of the Palm Pre. The latter may have just a few days in the spotlight before Apple’s WWDC keynote on Monday, where we’re expecting to see a new iPhone unveiled, so get yourself up to speed with our Palm Pre review in advance of our WWDC live-blog at 10am PT tomorrow.
Mobinnova have announced one of the first NVIDIA Tegra-based smartbook/netbook/shrunken-laptops at Computex, the élan. With an 8.9-inch display capable of playing back 720p video, the élan weighs just 1.84lbs and measures a mere 0.8-inches thick, but still manages to pack in 3G and WiFi, 5-10 hours of continuous HD video playback or up to 24 days of audio playback (assuming the screen is turned off).
NVIDIA have announced twelve new Tegra-based devices at Computex 2009, which the company is describing as MIDs (Mobile Internet Device). According to NVIDIA, Tegra is capable of up to 1080p video playback, hardware acceleration of Flash video, 25 days of music on a single charge and always-on processors with support for 3G, WiFi and WiMAX.
NVIDIA’s Tegra platform is no stranger to show floors, but since each iteration gets better – and, they promise, closer to an actual release – we still have a soft-spot for the HD-handling uber-chipset. This time around, NVIDIA have upgraded it to full 1080p playback on a connected HDTV; on the show floor they had a big-screen Samsung LCD showing full HD footage from a capacitive touchscreen reference device. It’ll eventually find its way into a $99 MID, or at least that’s the plan: NVIDIA claim their combination of high performance and low power demands, plus the prebuilt Windows CE interface, means vendors require less time and less money to develop production devices.
More images in the gallery after the cut
Microsoft is once again being tipped to announce a new, homegrown smartphone that would not only use the company’s software but their own hardware too. This latest incarnation of the rumor comes courtesy of Broadpoint AmTech analyst Doug Freedman, who has suggested that Microsoft will use a Qualcomm baseband and NVIDIA Tegra chipset in their new device.
“We have been able to identify NVDA’s second handset design win for the Tegra Applications Processor (our Jan. 12th note identified HTC). We believe that Tegra is also designed into an upcoming Microsoft smartphone (with a Qualcomm baseband solution). We believe that MSFT may announce one of the new phones at 3GSM” Doug Freedman, chip analyst, Broadpoint AmTech
Things are traditionally quiet in the tech world the week following CES, but we’ve seen our fair share of intrigue over the past seven days. Biggest news, in terms of share impact at least, is Steve Jobs’ surprise leave-of-absence due to “health concerns”, which has managed to overshadow both the teased redsn0w iPod touch 2G Jailbreak and rumors that the upcoming Mac mini refresh will use NVIDIA’s Ion chipset.
In cellphones, it looks like the Helio Ocean 2 is almost ready to ship, but it could be too little, too late now that the Palm Pre is catching all the headlines. Latest Pre rumor is that Vodafone UK will be picking it up as an exclusive; for all the details on Palm’s new smartphone, check out this round-up post and then head over to Pre Community.
From one NVIDIA rumor to another; now it’s the turn of the company’s Tegra platform to make headlines, with at least one analyst suggesting [via] that HTC have chosen the applications processor for models in its upcoming range. Tegra combines an ARM-based processing core, running at either 700MHz or 800MHz, with a 1080p HD-capable GeForce graphics core and direct support for WiFi and input peripherals onto a single chip, and could enable HTC to create a high-power smartphone with low energy demands.
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