Nvidia’s Tegra Note tablet was first glimpsed back at Computex Taipei but back then it was known as the Tegra Tab. However, even before that, in January we heard murmurings that such a device, alongside smartphones, were being designed for manufacture and branding by Nvidia AIB (add-in-board) partners. Now Nvidia has graciously supplied us with lots of details of the Tegra Note’s “unique features” and a full set of hardware specs.
Considering all the devices in the news recently packing Qualcomm’s range of processors, including the high end quad-core Snapdragon 800, perhaps Nvidia’s Tegra Note design help it turn over enough units between now and the Tegra 5 launch. The specific hardware partners that will be bringing the Tegra Note to the public include EVGA and PNY in the USA; ZOTAC and Oysters in Europe; Colorful, Shenzhen Homecare Technology and ZOTAC in Asia-Pacific; and XOLO in India. Nvidia reminds us that other Tegra 4 based tablets are already announced by the likes of HP, ASUS, Toshiba, Kobo and Xiaomi. Also we are expecting to add the new Microsoft Surface 2 to that list on Monday.
The specs of the Nvidia Tegra Note are as follows
- Processor: Tegra 4 mobile processor with quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU (with a fifth battery-saver core) and 72-core GeForce GPU
- Display: 7-inch HD IPS LCD display (1280 x 800)
- Camera: Rear 5MP and front VGA webcam
- Storage: 16GB storage with microSD expandable up to an additional 32GB
- Audio: Front-facing “HD Audio” stereo speakers with a unique bass-reflex port
- Stylus: Chisel and Brush tips for natural writing and broad strokes
- Peripherals: Micro HDMI connector to drive big screen TV videos and gaming
- OS: 100% Android with latest version of the OS
- Software Updates: Over-the-air software updates directly from NVIDIA
- Battery Life: 10 hours HD video playback
- Suggested retail price of $199
Also remember the “unique features” trumpeted by Nvidia in the intro paragraph – there’s quite a few of them, which it is hoped will help this tablet sell. As a ‘Note’ tablet Nvidia’s design bundles a stylus. Nvidia DirectStylus technology “transforms a normal stylus into an incredibly responsive experience with finer point and broader stroke control.” Software to make good use of the stylus is also bundled, which is helpful.
Nvidia claims this is the “world’s fastest 7-inch tablet” and with Nvidia Tegra Zone gaming offering visually enhanced games it may well appeal to Android games lovers.
The green team also seem to have pushed the boat out on camera functionality which uses the Chimera computational photography architecture. Nvidia has also brought the iOS SmugMug Camera Awesome app to Android; delivering features such as tap-to-track and 100 fps video with slow-motion playback, which are exclusive to Tegra 4 devices.
Add Nvidia PureAudio technology to the mix, which “offers rich, deep audio,” through front-facing stereo speakers with a bass-reflex port and you have quite a powerful all round entertainment tablet in your hands.
A decent 10 hour of HD video playback battery life and the promise of fast OTA Android updates from Nvidia nicely rounds off the Nvidia Note appeal. Only the screen resolution at 1280 x 800 and lack of information about system RAM quantity can be considered weak points after this first glance through the specs. Of course the proof of the pudding will be when devices are released and in reviewers hands and we see the actual prices these are marketed at.
