Mobile technology is now advancing in it’s fullness, the main aim is to work the mobile phone like a minicomputer, Nvidia has announce in the Mobile World Congress @ Barcelona that it is working with Google to build support for Linux applications on smartphones with its Tegra mobile chips which was formally announced last June 2008.
Nvidia said that Tegra chips would bring advanced graphics capabilities to smartphones while drawing less power. NVDIA brought the technology at Barcelona and shows an Android-based phone with a Tegra chip at the GSMA Mobile World Congress.
Tegra-based phones will combine advanced graphics, better battery life and always-on Internet access, Nvidia said in a press release. Smartphone makers can now use the Android platform to build Web 2.0 and Internet-based applications for Tegra-based smartphones, the company said.
Tegra chips put an Arm-based processor core, a GeForce graphics core and other components on a single chip. The product lineup includes the Tegra 600 running at 700MHz and Tegra 650 running at 800MHz. It also includes Tegra APX 2500 and APX 2600.
The systems-on-chips will start shipping in mid-2009 for handheld devices like smartphones and mobile Internet devices. Nvidia couldn’t immediately name companies that may ship smartphones with the chips. However, an analyst last week speculated that Microsoft would launch a smartphone with Tegra’s APX 2600 chip at MWC.
Beyond open-source support, Tegra chips also support Windows-based applications. At last year’s MWC, Nvidia announced Tegra would support Windows Mobile and enable 3D user interfaces and high-definition video on smartphones.
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. { Source : pcworld.com }