NVIDIA and Atmel to collaborate on large touchscreen tablet PCs

NVIDIA and Atmel have announced that they will be working together on some large format tablet computers that will be coming to market. The announcement was made at MWC 2011 today. Atmel will be offering a tablet computer reference design that has the NVIDIA Tegra 2 chip inside and also use the Atmel maXTouch mXT1386 solution.

The hardware will allow for Atmel touchscreen tablets with screens up to 15-inches and can be scaled to smartphones and other internet devices. The reference design uses the Android OS and has the ability for high-quality gaming and more.

The touchscreen chipset being used can support up to 16 touches at one time and has the industry's fastest response times and more. "With device entrants from across the PC, mobile, and entertainment space, 2011 is shaping up as the year of the tablet," said Rhoda Alexander, analyst at IHS iSuppli. "Processing speed and touch performance are key elements of successful design in this highly competitive market. Joint reference designs, such as that provided by the collaboration between Atmel and NVIDIA, can provide a significant design benefit to vendors as they strive to provide faster tablets with improved touch performance and longer battery life."