NVIDIA Jumps into Tablet Market With 'Tegra Tab'; Tegra 5 Version Coming Next Year

[dgstorm]

For the last couple of days we have been watching the slow progression of a rumor regarding NVIDIA moving into the Android tablet market with their own reference Tegra 4 based tablet. We waited to post anything because we wanted to see how everything turned out before reporting. As it turns out, it looks like the intel was true. NVIDIA will indeed be entering the Android tablet market with their own branded device called the Tegra Tab. The previous rumors suggested that the first tablet would be called the TegraNote Premium, and while that device is still a possibility, it looks like the Tegra Tab is a definite reality.

The first of these devices will come with their new Tegra 4 based chipset and will launch before the end of this year. It seems that NVIDIA has had difficulty in finding OEMs to use their new Tegra 4 architecture, despite the monster graphic performance of the technology. It appears that NVIDIA adopted the attitude, "if it's to be, it's up to me," and is just going to launch their own stuff. In fact, as you can see above, we actually have pics of the new device. It looks like it has a textured rubberized backing, which is always appreciated to minimize slippage. Here's what else we know about the specs:

• Nvidia’s Tegra 4 CPU
• 7-inch screen
• 5 MP rear camera
• Full HDMI port, and a stylus
• Probably 3G or 4G capable because of the SIM card slot seen in the pics
• Android 4.2.2 (suspected)

This isn't all we have on this subject though. According to a separate source, NVIDIA is also planning to launch an even more powerful Android Tablet next year before the end of March. This tablet will supposedly be equipped with their next-generation Tegra 5 chipset, which uses their Mobile Kepler architecture taken from their desktop technology. According to the hype, this new chipset, codenamed Logan, will be a real game-changer for mobile devices. It has the potential to completely dominate anything else out there in graphics performance.

Perhaps we should give NVIDIA some credit. They are certainly not giving up and are confident they can still get competitive to make a dent in the mobile world. After some minor initial success with Android products with previous Tegras, they pretty much dropped off the everyone's radar. For the most part OEMs ignored Tegra 4 this year and things swung heavily in Qualcomm's favor. Perhaps if NVIDIA can get some traction with their own products, the benefits of their technology can start to shine. Do you think their next generation of product could swing things back around for them?

Source: UnWiredView

 

[edap]

Regardless of what they can do, I feel Tegra devices are poorly managed and are too little too late by time they hit consumers and it’s old news.

 

[edap]

The recently leaked NVIDIA Tegra Tab 7 has made an appearance again, but this time on the AnTuTu benchmarking app. This, along with all the other information we’ve gathered from last week will greatly increase the credibility of future leaks. The tablet has been spotted as running on a 1.8 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 4 chipset, with an AnTuTu score of 27,643, which is more than decent for a 7 inch tablet. Further, the screenshot also reveals that the tablet runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
From what we know of the Tegra Tab 7 so far, it is supposed to feature a 1280×736 resolution display, a 5MP camera, support for a stylus along and a cellular connectivity variant. With the tablet beginning to make more noise with each passing day, it’s almost certain that an announcement is on the cards. The upcoming IFA 2013 event in Berlin could be the perfect stage for an announcement. But I won’t be surprised if it is delayed for the holiday season.