Tegra

Wanna see Ice Cream Sandwich on a tablet? Look no further

Ice Cream Sandwich runs on tablets and smartphones--but thus far its debut has been a phone phenomenon only, what with the release of Samsung's Galaxy Nexus.

Now, though, Nvidia has released a promotional video showing Android 4.0 on a tablet. Specifically, on an Asus Transformer Prime, which uses the quad-core Tegra 3 processor. Oops, I mean five-core Tegra 3 processor--the fifth core is there for low-power moments when the quad-core power isn't needed.

Nvidia's demo, using Ice Cream Sandwich and built two days after Google released its source code, shows a number of features: the … Read more

Qualcomm sees Snapdragon-powered PCs by late 2012

Qualcomm expects the first Snapdragon-powered Windows 8 PC to arrive a year from now, marking the entry into a lucrative new business for the wireless chip company.

Qualcomm is already working with Microsoft to ensure that computers running on the next-generation operating system will be able to run on its chips based on ARM's technology, which sacrifice processing power for more energy efficiency and ability to always remain connected. Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs said he sees a majority of the Windows 8 products coming after the end of fiscal 2012, which comes in September.

"We're going to … Read more

Nvidia's ARM chips power supercomputer

Nvidia's Tegra chips will for the first time power a supercomputer--more evidence that ARM is movin' on up into Intel territory.

The chipmaker said today the Barcelona Supercomputing Center is developing a new hybrid supercomputer that, for the first time, combines energy-efficient Nvidia Tegra CPUs (central processing units), based on the ARM chip architecture, with Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs).

The supercomputing center plans to develop a system that is two to five times more energy-efficient compared with today's efficient high-performance computing systems. Most of today's supercomputers use Intel processors.

"In most current systems, CPUs … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 72: The Power of Kal-El (Podcast)

The power of Kal-El, Kindle Fire gets wet, and Flash is dead!? We discuss the rise of Android Watches and Republic Wireless is releasing an Android phone with a $19 a month service plan. All of that and more on this week's episode of Android Atlas Weekly.

NEWS

Nvidia’s Tegra 3 CPU increases performance while saving power

Asus Transformer Prime is dressed to impress

Leaked HTC Edge could be world’s first quad-core phone

Nook Tablet: Hands … Read more

Asus Transformer Prime is dressed to impress

Not seven months after its debut, the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is consistently one of the most popular tablets on CNET. So, it came as a surprise when I heard that Asus was preparing a follow-up tablet so soon after the original.

On Tuesday, Asus officially unveiled the Eee Pad Transformer Prime. Touted as the world's first tablet to house the Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core CPU, the Transformer Prime enters the tablet market slim and trim, with a 0.33-inch depth and 1.29-pound weight, making it thinner and lighter than the iPad 2.

The aluminum chassis comes in … Read more

Nvidia's Tegra 3 CPU increases performance while saving power

The Nvidia Tegra 2 was the new hotness earlier this year as Honeycomb tablet after Honeycomb tablet embraced its dual-core architecture. Now, it's garbage.

On Tuesday, Nvidia officially unveiled the Tegra 2's successor, announcing the quad-core Tegra 3 CPU. The CPU will debut inside the Asus Transformer Prime in December and according to Nvidia, it'll offer up to three times the graphics performance of Tegra 2, and up to 61 percent lower power consumption.

Nvidia intends to achieve this lower power draw by implementing a technique called Variable Symmetric Multiprocessing (vSMP). The Tegra 3 is actually built … Read more

Rumor Has It, Ep. 7: You can't fight the quad core (podcast)

Karyne may be up a point on the Rumor board, but I'm winning where it actually counts: on Twitter.

As of this writing, I have 232 followers and Karyne has 223.

OK, you can stop laughing now.

We realize, of course, that those numbers are embarrassingly low. So follow us, guys! (@EmilyDreyfuss, @karynelevy, @RumorShow.) Our new high-stakes side bet is who can get to 500 first. Maybe the lucky 500th follower of the winner will get a prize!

The rumors on today's show are of the spiciest variety: sightings of the first quad-core phone (which some people really don't want); two new iPads in 2012; all-new Apple products next year (huzzah); and Siri may ruin my life by coming to old iOS devices. … Read more

Sony officially details Android Walkman

Sony has unveiled the official details of the first touch-screen Android Walkman, with a Japanese release date of December 10 in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB capacities.

The Walkman Z series comes with a 1GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 512MB of RAM, and Android 2.3, all displayed through an enormous 4.3-inch LCD screen (480x800), according to a Sony Japan Web site (Google Translate.) Black, red, and a special Sony Store limited violet edition will float around various territories.

CNET's Stephen Shankland already provided much of this information during an exclusive reveal of the Android Walkman last month at IFA 2011.

Sony has certainly come a long way from the cassette Walkman of yesteryear.

Hardware features are impressive for a nonphone (such as mini-HDMI, DLNA, WM-Port/Mini-USB), but it is important to note the device only has Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1 wireless capabilities. GPS and a gyroscope is also built-in to make the device relevant with the wide variety of games and location-aware Android apps out there. The Z series can access the full Android market. Continuous battery life is average at 20 hours for music playback and 5 hours video.

As for sound enhancements (and reasons for actually buying this over an iPod), digital noise canceling and a built-in S-Master MX digital amplifier are included. Music codec support is vast, including MP3, WMA, ATRAC, ATRAC Advanced Lossless, Linear PCM, AAC, and HE-AAC. We assume ATRAC compatibility will not happen outside of Japan, as it has been for several years now. FM radio is on board for those commercial filled broadcasts that we can't seem to live without. … Read more

Nvidia CEO sees tenfold growth in mobile-chip biz

Nvidia, best known for its high-end graphics chips, will generate a vast majority of its revenue from its now burgeoning mobile-processor business, according to outspoken Chief Executive Jen-Hsun Huang.

Huang, speaking to a roundtable of reporters today, said he expects the mobile-chip business to grow tenfold, to $20 billion by 2015. In comparison, the graphics processor business is expected to grow 75 percent, to $7 billion in the same time frame. He added he expects to maintain a strong share in both businesses.

"We'll be quite a force to contend with," Huang said.

Over the past few … Read more

Apple to face fast Android tablets

Apple's iPad will likely have to contend this year with new Android tablets sporting the latest high-speed silicon coming off production lines in Asia.

Nvidia is on the record saying that tablets powered by its quad-core Kal-El chip are arriving this year. "Kal-El-powered tablets are coming this fall, and phones around the CES 2012 timeframe," Nvidia said in a statement to CNET on Friday.

It's safe to presume that Nvidia isn't just blowing smoke. Its processors today power all of the most popular Android Honeycomb tablets, including the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, … Read more