Nvidia Announces Tegra 2 Platform
Graphics chipset developer Nvidia has formally announced the forthcoming launch of the Tegra 2 platform, the successor to the Tegra system on a chip solution currently found in the Microsoft Zune HD portable media player.
The Tegra 2 platform will consist of 2 ARM Cortex A9 cores and one ARM 7 core for applications, separate HD encode/decode processors, digital signal processor for audio and embedded GPU while using less power than the competing Snapdragon platform developed by Qualcomm, with Nvidia stating that Tegra 2 uses up to 7x less power than the aforementioned.
Nvidia quotes battery life for Tegra 2 at 140+ hours for music playback, 12 hrs for 1080p video playback and 6 hours of continuous HD streaming, with different packaging for smartphones, multimedia players and automotive applications along with smartbooks.
Developer boards are already available for interested companies to test and sample the platform for future development, with the following device specifications expected with the new platform in 5 to 10 inch displays and support for Windows CE, Linux and Android on the operating system front.
NVIDIA will announce initial Tegra 2 partners during CES, with smartbooks and tablets launching first before cellphones and related devices due to wireless carrier testing. Select wireless carriers are currently evaluating devices right now with Tegra 2 currently in volume production ahead of its expected launch this summer.
