A source today claims the sequel to NVIDIA's Tegra mobile processor could muster double the performance of the original. The new chip is purported by "high ranking" industry contacts to be switching from an ARM7 architecture to the much newer ARM9 and also to use a dual-core design. Combined with improvements to the graphics core, the updated Tegra would be roughly twice as fast overall.
MSI is developing an e-book reader that would use NVIDIA's Tegra processor at its core, the company's chairman Joseph Hsu says today. Confirming an earlier rumor, the executive admits that a device with the fast graphics and ARM chip combo is in progress but has "some problems" that have pushed a formal unveiling back until sometime in the first half of 2010. Other details will likely only be supplied closer to the actual release.
Nintendo's next-generation DS may be powerful enough to rival the current iPod touch in terms of power if a purported source is accurate. Contacts at BSN say NVIDIA has won a contract with Nintendo to use a variant of the Tegra chipset in a future handheld. Which model would be used is unknown, but it's still expected to be a single-chip design and may be a second-generation Tegra rather than the existing component.
Adobe at its MAX show launched Flash 10.1, a major update to its plugin that promises video on devices that normally haven't been capable. The release adds hardware graphics acceleration on computers and should make HD Flash video possible on netbooks and ultraportables and standard definition possible on smartphones. NVIDIA already promises that its GeForce, Ion and Tegra chipsets will speed up the Flash update when available.
While Windows Mobile 6.5 is just around the corner, a series of LinkedIn profiles (one), two, three) of a number of Motorola employees reveal Windows Mobile 7 has been in development for a number of years, as well as a number of features of the beta version of the new OS. Chief among them will be handwriting recognition, and there will be support for NVIDIA's Tegra (APX 2500) platform. The OS will also have native support for MEMS sensors, including an accelerometer and compass.
Apple chief Steve Jobs has spent "almost all" his time since his return to work developing the heavily rumored tablet device, according to sources close to the company. Those "people familiar with the matter" tell the WSJ that the executive is committing a level of attention to the project not seen since the original iPhone's development. The sheer control has reportedly been a shock to some workers, who during Jobs' roughly six-month medical leave had some relative freedom on projects.
NVIDIA general manager of mobile Mike Rayfield today hinted at a future Tegra-based device in coming months in a video interview (seen below) that may hint at links to Apple. The executive told Hexus that an unnamed company is developing a "media pad" that would have 3G and a touchscreen between 7 and 13 inches in size that would be based on the chip. No indication was given as to the feature set other than the entertainment focus.
Despite Apple's claims to the contrary, a test by a forum member at Weiphone suggests the iPhone 3GS may already have enough performance to smoothly play full HD video. By manually copying over videos using file transfer apps on a computer and the iPhone, the community member says he could play up to a 1080p (1920x1080) clip at 30 frames per second at up to a 35Mbps without any lag or stuttering. Although they don't show in the official iPod app, they work using Apple's built-in video player when called by a third-party program.
The FCC has likely spoiled Microsoft's launch plans by posting test info for the player's wireless behavior. While the NVIDIA Tegra processor, Wi-Fi and Windows CE foundations are all public information, the filing specifically shows models with 16GB and 32GB of storage and confirms at least one rumor regarding Microsoft's strategy for the touchscreen media player. The company has previously acknowledged the Zune HD would replace flash players but has never specified how much storage they would have.
Samsung on Friday bowed a new high-end touchscreen media player aimed at the same high-end audience as the iPod touch. Although Internet access doesn't appear to be a feature, the YP-M1 is the first dedicated player to use NVIDIA's Tegra processor. The chipset both provides hardware decoding for playing back videos and also speeds up the unique widget-driven interface that lets users see settings at a glance.
A variety of smartbooks and netbooks integrating ARM-based Snapdragon and Tegra processors are scheduled to ship later this year, according to a DigiTimes report. The devices are being produced by several companies such as Acer, Foxconn, Pegatron, Compal and Inventec.
A Samsung spokesperson on Friday confirmed the company is the one who was rumored to be among five top handset makers developing a handset powered by NVIDIA's Tegra processor. The chipset, which would allow HD graphics playback from the handset whether it's from movies or video games, is also linked to the upcoming Zune HD from Microsoft. As in the earlier report, the handset is most likely to debut at AT&T or T-Mobile, and be priced at around $200.
The previously promised NVIDIA netbook, which spawned a prototype built by Mobinnova, will be called the Firefly, according to a recent SemiAccurate report. The nettop will reportedly be powered by the Tegra chip that is also being used in Microsoft's Zune HD, and unnamed netbook manufactuers claim a September launch date. The Tegra chip itself is already known to be delayed beyond NVIDIA's own 2008 timeframe, however, and has cast doubts on the new timeframe.
A major smartphone manufacturer is due to launch a phone based on NVIDIA's Tegra platform, the company has let slip in interviews. One of the "top five" smartphone producers should have a phone based on the advanced graphics technology before the end of the year. The company has also said in a discussion with CrunchGear that it should reach AT&T and T-Mobile for about $199.
When it ships later this year, the Zune HD could cost as much or more than the iPod touch by the time both updates are released this year, an additional leak said Thursday. An interview with a previous source on Neowin cautions that prices aren't "set in stone" but has the base 16GB model costing between $249 and $279, or at least as much as the Zune 120 does today. A current 16GB clickpad Zune costs $179.
NVIDIA confirmed its plans to release its own netbook PC with its own Tegra chip before the end of 2009. The Tegra chip is so far only used in the Zune HD portable multimedia player and uses hardware acceleration of 720p resolution HD video while using up a minimum of just 150mW. While final specs are not known, NVIDIA is showing a prototype model built by Mobinnova which sports an 8.9-inch screen, Wi-Fi, a 3G data radio and a webcam. It currently runs on Microsoft's Windows CE operating system, but NVIDIA says the final product could run on Google's Android.
A leak today of purported ad material from Microsoft appears to have clarified some of the company's launch plans for the Zune HD. The documents handed to Gizmodo show the player shipping only in 16GB and 32GB capacities; they also indicate that colors will be dictated by capacity and that the 16GB version will have a simple black while the 32GB model comes in the golden color seen in most previews.
NVIDIA staff are now known today to have confirmed that the Zune HD uses a Tegra processor at its heart. Mentioning the feature to PC Perspective at Computex, the graphics company has made its first deal for the use of Tegra in a major product and is necessary for the Microsoft player's namesake HD video playback. The all-in-one processor offers hardware acceleration of video and can consume just 150mW of power at full speed, giving it battery life like a regular media player in spite of the demands of 720p video playback.
Mobinnova has announced the élan, a netbook based on one of NVIDIA's fledgling Tegra processors. The system features an 8.9-inch display, which in combination with the Tegra chip is capable of 720p video as well as accelerated Flash content. 3G and Wi-Fi connections are built in, along with a webcam with unspecified resolution. The exact model of Tegra is also unknown.
Microsoft's Zune HD is real and likely to appear on the company's now-traditional September unveiling schedule, SuperSite for Windows creator Paul Thurrott said on Wednesday. He cites those within Microsoft for the date and is supported by other contacts that echo the same claim. Hardware traits, as well as the actual ship date, haven't been corroborated.
Specifications have surfaced today that may represent Microsoft's expectations for its "Pink" Zune phone platform. Known as Windows Mobile 7 Chassis 1, the design obtained by Microsoft observer Mary Jo Foley appears to set a baseline level of hardware that would outperform iPhones. A system would use either an NVIDIA Tegra, Qualcomm 8000-series, or Texas Instruments 3430 processor at its heart, at least 256MB of memory, and an 800x480 or larger screen.
Apple is reported today as phasing out its video cables in what may be a sign of a broader move to HD video-capable iPhone and iPod touch devices. An unnamed source for PhoneNews claims that resellers are being told both the Apple Composite AV and Component AV cables are being scrapped in favor of a single cable pack that, like the Xbox 360's component cable, has both the component and composite (RCA) cables on a single line and would let users hook up to both HDTVs and standard-definition sets by purchasing one pack.
An apparently separate leak has appeared to confirm at least some details of the Zune HD posted earlier this morning. Pointing to sources within Microsoft, Neowin claims the player will ultimately earn its name through the use of an NVIDIA Tegra mobile processor, which will handle both core processing as well as graphics functions. While the exact chip isn't specified, it's likely to be the APX 2600, which supports 720p video, full OpenGL effects, and HDMI yet which can still fit into a media player-sized casing.
A marketing campaign has leaked tonight through Engadget that appears to confirm the existence of the first touchscreen Zune. Titled Zune HD, little is known about the device other than that it appears to embrace the same philosophy as the iPod touch, with just one button on the front. Its name implies at least high-resolution video playback, though true HD-resolution displays don't typically exist in handheld size.
Qualcomm and Freescale, who build ARM-based platforms, are expected to demonstrate netbooks using their products at the Computex Taipei expo in June, DigiTimes reported on Thursday, citing sources at netbook makers. The show will reportedly see the debut of a Pegatron netbook running on Freescale's i.MX51 CPU on ARM's Coretex A8 mainboard as well as a Wistron model with a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU.
NVIDIA at a Morgan Stanley conference today said it hopes to have an x86 compatible system-on-chip within two to three years. The company's Investor Relations Senior VP Michael Hara argues that an all-in-one processor, which includes the additional media processing and other features needed to power a handheld or netbook, "makes sense" and that Intel's x86 is very likely the architecture of choice in the specified timeframe. There is "no question on our mind" about using it, Hara says of the technology.
NVIDIA today made ambitious claims for handheld devices centering on its Tegra all-in-one processors. The graphics company now believes that its Tegra 600 chip can result in a mobile Internet device (MID) that costs just $99 and yet which has features normally off-limits to more expensive MIDs and even smartphones. Combining a 750MHz ARM processor and graphics acceleration lets it support both full web browsing and other high-end mobile apps but also play back 1080p HD video without requiring a separate graphics component.
Microsoft's rumored in-house smartphone is actually a reference design for Zune-themed phones, say sources of reporter Mary Jo Foley. Rather than stand as Microsoft's own products, multiple reference Zune phones are being made that third parties can use as the inspiration for their own models. The company hopes to play cellphone makers against each other to produce one or more particularly strong Zune-capable devices.
A research note today from Broadpoint AmTech claims that Microsoft is planning to release a smartphone of its own. Analysts Mark McKechnie and Rob Sandserson cite "multiple industry sources" who say a phone is the works that would be released in the second half of 2009 with the goal of tightly integrating hardware and software, much like Apple's iPhone or RIM's BlackBerry line. No other details are given outside of an additional note that backs previous rumors of the phone possibly using NVIDIA's Tegra chipset to provide advanced 3D and HD video support.
Microsoft is in the later stages of developing a phone of its own that will rely on performance to drive sales, a rumor floated by the Inquirer today claims. The Windows Mobile developer is allegedly developing a phone that would use one of NVIDIA's Tegra processors as its heart. The feature would likely involve the APX 2500 chip and theoretically give the Microsoft device 720p video playback and advanced 3D visuals that are absent on other phones.
NVIDIA today licensed a collection of technologies from Transmeta for $25 million that will potentially improve the power use of the former's graphics and mainboard hardware. The license primarily grants NVIDIA access to LongRun2, a technique to reduce the amount of waste power for processors and similar chips. The approach uses a combination of circuitry and advanced math to reduce the effect of leaking power as processors are made on smaller and smaller manufacturing processes. This lets companies shrink components to make them more complex without having to throttle back clock speed or other elements to avoid creating too much waste power and heat.
Motorola's future top-end phone and the company's purported last stand is a spiritual successor to the Q 9, according to leaks from BGR. Known in development as Alexander, the device appears to be a slider with a full QWERTY keyboard and will run Windows Mobile 6.1. The apparent slip also contradicts reports that Alexander would have a touchscreen to compete against the iPhone and instead shows a directional pad, which has been present for every existing Q series phone.
Motorola is placing nearly all its faith in a high-technology phone whose success or failure may determine the outcome of the company, according to a tip sent to BGR. The unnamed device (likely a future ZINE model) would have a previously hinted-at 8-megapixel camera but should also have true GPS and other features meant to draw attention in the crowded high-end field. It will also be one of the first devices to ship with NVIDIA's Tegra APX 2500 processor and should be fast enough to produce advanced 3D as well as HD-resolution video, according to the claims.
Nvidia's mobile technology will help rivals "leapfrog" the iPhone, according to the company's CEO. Jen-Hsun Huang made the comments in an interview, promoting the company's new low-power Tegra platform. Huang notes that the iPhone has a "great computer chip," with a high-performance graphics core, something that helps establish it as the world's first "legitimate" mobile Internet device (MID). The difficulty with this is that many of the companies that may be looking to best Apple do not have their own chip designers, and so cannot produce a phone with graphics and an interface that is on par.
NVIDIA this morning took a headstart on the Computex show with the launch of Tegra, its new lineup of mobile processors. Unlike the video-oriented GeForce line, Tegras are considered full systems in a single chip and include both an ARM processor as well as nearly every other component necessary for a mobile device: every model includes a graphics engine based on GeForce hardware as well as camera image processing and controllers for peripherals and flash memory.
NVIDIA is about to unveil a whole line of mobile processors dedicated to handhelds, says a new leak from the Inquirer. The APX 2500 is now put under the Tegra brand of chips and will be marketed as an application processor for portable media players and smartphones. As suggested early on, the chip will be capable of decoding and encoding 720p video in real-time, including through optional HDMI output, and supports both the newer OpenGL ES 2.0 standard for mobile 3D as well as effects that have normally been too demanding for mobile chips, including anti-aliasing for cleaner graphics.
