NVIDIA

Tegra 3 Android tablets to cost as low as $199?

Remember the 7-inch tablet that Nvidia teased at CES earlier this year? The Tegra 3-powered device that was supposed to cost $249? It could turn out to be more affordable than we thought.

According to The New York Times, Nvidia's head honcho, Jen-Hsun Huang, indicated that the company is working on lowering the cost of its latest Tegra 3 processors. He also hinted that Android tablets will go for $199 by the second half of the year. … Read more

New iPad's performance gets iPhoto reality check

The new iPad's performance is less than stellar on iPhoto and lags the Asus Transformer Prime tablet in some tests because of Apple's aging central processing unit, according to a chip review site.

Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 chip -- used in the Asus Transformer Prime tablet -- is faster in some key tests than new iPad's A5X chip, according to tests conducted by Anandtech.

While Apple touts the A5X chip's quad-core graphics processing unit (GPU), it is silent about the CPU. The reason is pretty simple: the A5X sticks with an aging dual-core Cortex A9 … Read more

Nvidia's Haas on being two places at once: Intel and ARM

Nvidia mobile chief Rene Haas laid out in an interview with CNET some of the device choices Windows 8 shoppers may face this fall. Inside some, Nvidia snuggles up next to Intel. In others, Nvidia and Intel are worlds apart.

Nvidia is in a unique position because it offers chips that land in devices in two giant markets: Windows-Intel and ARM--the latter's chip designs power virtually every smartphone and tablet on the planet.

For Windows-Intel, Nvidia's mobile focus is laptops. There, Nvidia will supply its latest power-efficient graphics processing units (GPUs), the 640M and 620M--formally announced today … Read more

Ultrabook with game: Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3-581TG, hands-on

Are you ready for large-screen ultrabooks? Well, hopefully the answer's "yes," because they're coming to stores whether you like it or not. The differentiating factors on what constituted an ultrabook -- thin, portable, power efficient, SSD, no optical drive, lack of dedicated "high-end" graphics, longer battery life -- have started to go out the window. Witness the 15-inch Samsung Series 9 and HP Envy 14 Spectre, for starters.

As far as the Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3-581TG is concerned, it may make you question your entire perception of the category. DVD drive? Check. Dedicated high-end Nvidia graphics? Check. Larger hard drive options? Check. Portable? Well, not exactly, compared to 13-inch ultrabooks. The Ultra M3 is 4.4 pounds, but it is .79 inches thick. Of all of these, the biggest novelty of this Timeline is that it's the first ultrabook (as defined by Intel) to feature Nvidia graphics. It won't be the last.… Read more

Acer Iconia Tab A510 goes quad-core

If you're looking for a 10-inch Android 4.0 tablet running the lastest Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, we have great news. You can buy one right now for $500, and it's called the Asus Transformer Prime.

But for those of you who like having more than one option available to you (and wouldn't mind saving a little money), Acer's Iconia Tab A510 goes on presale today. Pricing starts at $449, configured with 32GB of storage.

Now, even though Acer can't claim to be the first to deliver Ice Cream Sandwich on a Tegra 3, … Read more

Will skinny MacBooks get beefy graphics?

Will Apple put brawny graphics in its upcoming lean laptops? One chip site claims it's not looking good.

A chip-centric site is dropping not-so-subtle hints that some of Apple's upcoming thin laptops may be bereft of a separate graphics chip.

Today, Apple's thinnest laptop line, the MacBook Air, comes with stock Intel graphics silicon, built right into the processor. But that hasn't always been the case. First, a little history.

Gen 1 (early 2008): Intel Core 2 Duo with Intel X3100 graphics. Despite a stunning design, the first Air ran hot, didn't have great battery … Read more

What makes the new iPad tick: A peek inside

The new iPad isn't waltzing into a competitive vacuum. That wow-worthy display notwithstanding, Apple still has to go head-to-head on performance.

Chip-review site Anandtech confirmed with Apple that sitting right next to the A5X's quad-core GPU (graphics processing unit) is a dual-core CPU (central processing unit).

Apple had nothing to say about the CPU (which typically garners the most attention) when it announced the new iPad, because the CPU really hasn't changed from the iPad 2.

The upshot is that Apple is pitting the A5X's quad-core GPU against a quad-core Nvidia CPU.

So, how does it … Read more

Google, Asus to hook up on 7-inch Android tablet, says report

Yet another report is claiming an imminent 7-inch Google tablet. And add Asus to the mix as that company will make and co-brand the device.

Google and Asus will unveil a 7-inch co-branded tablet PC as early as May, said DigiTimes in a report dated March 9.

NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim told CNET last month that the tablet will have a 1280x800 resolution 7-inch display and production is slated for April. The initial production run is between 1.5 million to 2 million units, Shim said.

And another report earlier this month said at least one model will retail … Read more

Windows 8 on ARM: No legacy, no legs?

Would you buy a Windows tablet that doesn't run older Windows applications?

That's the question that keeps dogging me when I see Microsoft demonstrating tablets based on ARM processors from Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, and Nvidia. Tablets with those processors will not run so-called Intel "x86" legacy software (though they will run a full version of Office 15).

Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky wrote about this on February 9. "If you need to run existing x86/64 (Intel-based) software, then you will be best served with Windows 8 on x86/64."

And he reiterated this at … Read more