Nvidia announced a new processor that can do it all – Play games, hi-def video or surf the web. The best part is it will still promote a long battery life. And the chip is no bigger than a quarter.
The Nvidia Tegra 600 and 650 processors are for portable devices that play a host of Multimedia options while maintaining a small size. Using the APX2500 application processor (which is used in smartphones), this chip will be be soon in UMPC, laptops and what is called an MID.
What is an MID you ask? It’s short for a Mobile Internet Device. UMPC’s are technically a MID, but they can fall out of the specification. MID are systems with screens between 4-12 inches and might have a touch-screen or keyboard, a connection (like USB) or wireless internet connection.
Intel coined the acronym in the spring of 2007 when they announced a prototype at the Intel Developer Forum. The MID contains the Menlow platform, which includes the Intel Atom processor (aka Silverthorne). The processor is 45nm running up to 1.86 GHz. The MID can work in a Linux and Windows environment.
The Tegra 600 runs at 700 mHz and the 650 runs at 800mHz. All three can encode at 720p @ 30 fps, but the 650 can decode at 1080p @ 24 fps. Memory speed is 166 and 200MHz and uses LP DDR memory. Most important, when idle, the chip uses less than 100mW and maxes at 2 watts when playing high end video. The chip helps support a longer battery life.
This will be a great item for any smartphone or UMPC. I am not sure how much I want to see 1080p video on a 4 inch screen, but I will have the opportunity to. Tablets, smartphones, UMPC’s and embedded PC’s will never be the same….