We saw a lot of tablets at CES and it was Nvidia who seemed to be pushing the category harder than anyone else. Apart from the Tegra2 display cabinet showing a whole series of devices (video) there were a few other interesting devices out on display. The video below shows a slim 10 inch Compal tablet that looks almost production ready in terms of casing but as with all the other devices there was no information about who would produce this device and when it would be available. As far was we know, this one, along with all the other prototypes we saw, might never come to the market.

The difference between CES and reality can be wide!

It’s not confirmed right now but the Mobinnova Beam could be the first non-voice Android device to get the full Google seal of approval and if it does, it could become quite the mobile all-rounder.This is the lightest 8.9 inch laptop-style device we have in the product database!

The Beam is coming to AT&T with HSPA and Android with a 3D UI and a super light weight of around 820gm. That’s lighter than any other netbook out there thanks to the small, 24Wh battery and fanless processing platform based on Nvidia Tegra 2.

Sizing-wise, the Beam is slightly deeper than the  EeePC 901 but significantly thinner. In terms of battery life, we’re looking at an on-net, in-use life of 8-10 hours (estimated) which means you really could leave this device on, and connected, all-day.

Pricing and availability is unknown right now but we’re watching this one very carefully. If it gets Google approval, it could signify the start of Android-based productivity and that’s why we’re reporting it here on UMPCPortal. This has pro-mobility potential.

Full specs, article links, videos in the Beam product page.

We mentioned the supposedly Android and Nvidia Tegra powered ‘Vega’ tablet a few weeks ago, and now it looks like Engadget has gotten their hands on a prototype. Jump over to their story to see the video.

The thing that will probably jump out to any of us is that the prototype is running Windows CE at the moment. It’s possible that this is just temporary while they build and fine tune the Android software that will be purportedly powering the device at launch, but I’m just hoping that they don’t rush the unit out the door with Windows CE and promise Android firmware at a later time. This would put them in some regards on the same unwanted level of the no-name MIDs I wrote about the other day (see the ‘Users as beta testers’ section). I’ve also got to mention that I’m not digging the resistive touchscreen.

At least the Tegra hardware ensures some pretty good performance. A movie playing at 1280×720 is demoed in the video and the device seems to handle it just fine. The ZuneHD might have the same Nvidia Tegra hardware, but it is too small to actually have a screen with an HD resolution, so on the Vega it is nice to see that HD decoding capability put to good use.

A company called Innovative Convergent Devices has put info up on their website about a new device called the Vega, which purportedly will be an Android 2.0 powered slate device which will come in your choice of size: 7 inch, 11 inch or up to a whooping 15.6 inch.

Check the specs (likely subject to change):

• Android OS
• 7/11/15.6 inch resistive touchscreen at 1366×768
• Nvidia Tegra (probably the Tegra 600 or 650, which are both Arm 11)
• 4 hour battery life
• 512MB of RAM
• 512MB of memory (expandable through MicroSD)
• Bluetooth and WiFi b/g
• Options for 2G or 3G data module
• headphone jack and webcam
• dual microphones
• accelerometer

And one other thing listed on the spec sheet that is rather odd: 262,000 colors (6-bit) which seems sort of low for a device that claims to be usable for HD content.

The press release on IDC’s site says that the device will be released through “Tier 1 inch carriers in the US, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, which should mean that the device will be subsidized. They are also set to show off a demo unit at this year’s CES (Jan 7-10) and hope to launch in the first half of 2010.

There is a lot of talk about the Vega being a “no compromise inch product that consumers really want, however, I don’t know about you… but I’d call a slate device with no physical keyboard and a resistive touchscreen just that: a compromise. Your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

[GottaBeMobile]

I have just been watching a very interesting video from the Adobe MAX 2009  conference. It’s the Keynote from Kevin Lynch, Adobe CTO, who demos Flash Player 10.1 for mobile devices, smartphones and netbooks.

You get to see flash on Maemo, WebOS, Android, an unknown upcoming Android phone, an HP Netbook with Nvidia ION and a smartbook (Mobinova) running Tegra. There’s also the HP Mini 110 running with its Broadcom Crystal HD module (which is interesting news from May that I completely missed.) The Broadcom solution is a PCI Express Mini slot-in module that offloads video decoding (no real 3D support here unlike the ION solution) and could be an interesting option for those with a spare PCI-Express Mini slot.

Anyway, back to the Adobe video. Check out some leveling of the Intel vs ARM playing-field below.

Don’t forget that the CPU is still needed for Flash code operations and that it’s only the H.264 video that can be offloaded to a co-processor. Running Flash code on even a Cortex based platform will still be a big task and will slow down your browsing performance and reduce battery life just as it does on the desktop. Even running flash on a 1.6Ghz Atom is a chore. On the other hand, YouTube fans should get better battery life from the hardware-decoded video.

Why doesn’t someone make a Flash 10 co-processor? (Flashable of-course!)

Warning. This is another ‘our reliable sources’ story!

Shanzai.com, a website dedicated to tracking China’s tech industry, is reporting that Lenovo, and Acer will launch products based on the Nvidia Tegra platform and running Google Chrome OS.

If it’s true it means that Google OS is months ahead of schedule. Previous Google said that we wouldn’t see devices until 2010.

Apart from those ‘reliable sources’ and a few very strange looking pics that were purported to be Google OS, there’s nothing much to go on here.

Thin and light mini notebooks will come soon, I have no doubt, but there’s a huge question mark hanging over the choice of OS. Linux looks to be the big winner here but what flavor it will have is anybody’s guess.

Exclusive: Lenovo and Acer to launch Tegra devices with Google’s Chrome OS

Got any thoughts on this one?

This is a subject we discussed at length on the last MeeMobility podcast. Operating systems for smartbooks. Android appears to be a great brand but it’s not ready for the big(ger) screen yet. As far as I know, the Open Handset Alliance has never announced plans to upscale the OS to laptop-style usage so for the time being, a good brand is all it is.

Nvidia, the creators of the Tegra MID and Smartbook platform, think the same and are focusing on WinCE right now. Yes, it’s a little shocking to us too. We know the platform is mature and stable but we can’t say we’ve ever seen any good quality consumer-focused mobile internet devices running it. Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Mobile 7, extensions of the WINCE OS could carry more branding weight and attract more developers but again, it might not be the right choice for consumers.

The Nvidia info comes from an interesting ComputerWorld article.

Nvidia chose to work with Windows CE first, said Rayfield, because it “is a rock-solid operating system that has been shipped billions of times.”

Windows CE also has a “low memory footprint and a good collection of apps,” Rayfield said.

He said Nvidia is also improving Tegra for use on Windows Mobile, a close variant of Windows CE, for ARM-based smartphones.

Nvidia is working with Google to accelerate Android, which is based on Linux, when running on Tegra hardware. But it will be about a year before that delivers for smartbooks, due to existing limitations in Android, he said.

Get that? A year before Android ‘delivers’ on a smartbook.

The Tegra playing field has a number of big holes that need to be filled. CPU power, Operating Systems, Adobe Flash, a rich suite of modern applications and the all-important developer ecosystem. When you look at Moorestown and Moblin V2 and hear Intel talking about it being able to deliver better smartbooks than the ARM-based ecosystem, you have to wonder whether Nvidia can really compete. Maybe Tegra-based MIDs and Smartphones on Anroid, Win 7, Mer or Maemo would be a better focus?

This story is currently developing at MWC. Updates will be added below.

Via Engadget

“A $99 Tegra-based MID is expected to be announced by Nvidia at MWC. The MID includes full high-definition 1080p video playback and full Wi-Fi and 3G mobile broadband connectivity capabilities. The always-on device can go “days” between battery charges, a company spokesman said.”[Via PCWorld]

Update 1:
It’s not quite clear what they mean by $99. Subsidised perhaps? If so, ignore the hype on the pricing but it’s interesting to see nvidia highlight the Tegra 600-based MID (ARM core) and the Ion based PC shown in the diagram (looking like it’s based on the old HTC Shift!)

Udate 2: Press release. note that there is no mention of voice here. [Source]

SANTA CLARA, CA UNITED STATES

NVIDIA Tegra Brings Full Internet Experience to Always On, Always-Connected Devices

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 16 MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS 09 — Today’s users want an always-connected device for social media applications such as Facebook and YouTube, as well as great multimedia performance for recording and watching HD movies and videos on the go.

NVIDIA Corporation, the inventor of the graphics processor, today introduced a new platform, based on the NVIDIA(R) Tegra(TM) 600 Series computer-on-a-chip that enables a $99, always-on, always-connected HD mobile internet device (MID) that can go days between battery charges.

This platform will enable OEMs to quickly build and bring to market devices that carriers can offer for as low as $99 — bringing broadband connectivity and all of the Web’s HD content to the masses.

“Mobile internet devices have evolved to provide consumers with the performance and connectivity required by today’s lifestyle, inch said Michael Rayfield, general manager of the mobile business unit at NVIDIA. “Until now, consumers could get just another ‘gadget’ with limited functionality or a PC that’s not ‘always on’. A Tegra-based platform combines the best of both worlds. inch

The Tegra MID delivers:

— 720p and 1080p video playback
— Days of use between charges
— Full Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity
— Optimized hardware support for Web 2.0 applications for a true
desktop-class internet experience
— A complete software solution including Microsoft Windows Embedded CE
OS, application viewers, full Internet browser, UI framework, board
support package (BSP), software development kit (SDK), Web mail client,
and more

“The next generation of smart, connected, service-oriented devices are centered around rich multimedia experiences and enhanced functionality, inch said Mukund Ghangurde, Director, CE and Consumer Product Management at Microsoft Corp. “We are pleased to collaborate with NVIDIA to develop platform resources that assist OEMs in quickly bringing these new devices to market. inch

In addition, NVIDIA partnered with ST-Ericsson to add 3G communication capability into this new platform, allowing for seamless connectivity, worldwide.

“ST-Ericsson together with NVIDIA have developed a Microsoft Windows Embedded CE implementation using the ST-Ericsson U335 and the NVIDIA Tegra which is ready for customer design development, inch stated Jorgen Lantto, Chief Technology Officer, ST-Ericsson. “This solution takes advantage of the high volume, IOT tested and proven U335 modem solution together with NVIDIA which takes multimedia performance to a new level. inch

ICD, a leading consumer ODM, also announced support of the new class of devices enabled by this new platform.

“ICD has long believed that there will be a new generation of innovative connected devices. Designing these devices around the Tegra platform will bring carriers an amazing level of functionality at prices as low as $99, inch said David Hayes, President and CEO of ICD.

Update 4: Earlier (2008) news about Tegra.