Sure, I can count the number of existing or upcoming apps from major companies with NVIDIA Tegra 2 processors on two hands. But that hasn’t stopped NVIDIA from forging ahead with the next version of its Tegra chip… and the version after that.
NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang says that the company is almost done with its Tegra 3 chip, and work has already started on Tegra 4, with a new Tegra chip expected every year.
The Tegra chipset combines a low power ARM-based processor with NVIDIA graphics to enable 3D graphics and HD video playback, among other things, on low power devices including tablets, smartphones, portable media players, and netbooks/smartbooks.
Products using the second generation Tegra chip include:
- Notion Ink Adam tablet
- eLocity A7 Android tablet
- Toshiba AC100 smartbook
- Toshiba Folio 100 tablet
- e-Noah Interpad tablet
- Hannspree Android tablet
- Malata ZPad tablet
- A line of upcoming smartphones from LG
Nothing goes together quite like proprietary diver support and rapid successions of hardware generations. This year, it’s the most powerful handheld on the market. Next year, it’s a coaster.
I think these should be great for super-efficient netbooks and inexpensive nettop computers (with some decent graphics!) running Linux. So. . . Who’s going to make them? The industry has gone tablet-crazy, while the remaining netbook makers are still shackled to Intel and Microsoft. Will nobody ever produce what I actually want to buy?
I’m reminded of the saying: “When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.”
It’s too expensive for a company to figure out what you want and then care enough to make it. It’s cheaper just to convince you that you want to buy what they want to make. If you want to come out ahead, then instead of wasting your money on devices, invest your money into becoming a shareholder of companies who are the most successful at getting consumers to believe them when they’re told what they want. Then, with the wealth you build, you can go make your own perfect device or come to realize that technology was just a distraction that you no longer care about now that you have the financial power to truly serve your needs.