$200 Tegra Netbooks Soon!

Zachstar

[H]ard|Gawd
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Sep 27, 2005
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Oh ya this is what I am talking about! Netbooks that can stay on for atleast 10 hours. HDMI and able to decode HD Video.

Looks like the first on the scene is the Mobinnova N910

You can’t expect to play hardcore games on it like Crysis. Although you should be able to do quite a bit more on it. Henry mentioned that you can run the netbook for about 10 hours without charge. It’ll come with WiFi, 3G, HDMI and other rich features.

Not too bad for a $200 netbook. It also only weights 1.84 lbs.

http://geeksmack.net/hardware/645-nvidia-almost-ready-for-tegra-netbooks.html

As for power consumption. Processing has become quasi-irrelevant: even at full load the processor and the graphics unit consume only 0.5W. At the same time, the display consume two to four times the power. In short, your battery life is now mainly limited by your screen, and that will be an interesting test because it is the real limit.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2009/09/mobinnova_n910_smartbook_hands-on_tegra_smartbook.html


The big question is if this company will fit the image of the 200USD netbook or try to sucker more money out of early adopters. I will gladly pay 200 but only 200 for this device. The great thing about Tegra is just about every small laptop and desktop maker can get in and compete keeping prices nice and low.
 
I feel ya! Yeah this sounds awesome! Been waiting for something portable to be able to decode HD youtube, Hulu, 360, and such! The most I'd be willing to pay is $300, but thats just me. Ten hours sounds too good to be true! As you can tell by the exclamation marks, Im hella excited for something like this! Good find.
 
Hulu is flash - right now, flash (for Huli) is CPU based.

Tegra has a ARM(11) cpu, basically a stripped down x86 (not even 64bit) cpu.

This will perform a little worse then the nVidia ION - a decent system for the purpose.
 
ARM processors are not x86 compatible so it could be a lot slower in the right circumstances
 
That's quite a large battery sticking out the back.

I'd like a smaller better battery as well but for $200 with 10 hours of battery life and mobile action still seems very appealing.
 
I'd like a smaller better battery as well but for $200 with 10 hours of battery life and mobile action still seems very appealing.

Indeed it does. My NC10's 9 cell aftermarket battery sticks out a fair amount but can get 8+ hours on a charge.
 
Hulu is flash - right now, flash (for Huli) is CPU based.

Tegra has a ARM(11) cpu, basically a stripped down x86 (not even 64bit) cpu.

This will perform a little worse then the nVidia ION - a decent system for the purpose.

I may be wrong on this, but isn't the flash version for linux hardware accelerated?
 
Ion is still a general purpose platform. Tegra has multiple cores for different purposes. It has a different core for HD video and a different core for rendering GL quake 3

Its like a tiny PC with a CPU another CPU (ARM 11 and ARM 7) A video card an HD video card A sound rendering card etc...

If someone just runs a random ARM program then yes it will run rather slowly because that program will only use the ARM 11 core but a program made with Tegra in mind (like opera for Tegra) will be extremely powerful.
 
I may be wrong on this, but isn't the flash version for linux hardware accelerated?
Yes, but only if the flash was programmed to take advantage of GPU features.
Since Hulu hasn't (yet!), we are stuck with a rather gimped system.




Not to mention, has anybody actually tried web browsing on an iPhone?
It's basically a Tegra device without the Tegra name, and it's a 2 chip solution, but still, it's slow (slow...) on larger websites (try the Intel site, just for kicks! [or stupidly, for business]).

It's fast on some sites, but any with flash takes longer to load (not to meniton it doesn't have flash), and the browser, even compared a Atom based netbook, just cannot cut it at times.

That's why when I looked at this, basically the biggest net-top (a BIG pda) announced as of yet, I was taken aback - I'd be suprised if it will even browse the nVidia website at decent speed.


Sorry if I seem a bit on the attack here! I'm not, really, but I just don't really like the concept of upscaling a smartphone!
 
Yes, but only if the flash was programmed to take advantage of GPU features.
Since Hulu hasn't (yet!), we are stuck with a rather gimped system.




Not to mention, has anybody actually tried web browsing on an iPhone?
It's basically a Tegra device without the Tegra name, and it's a 2 chip solution, but still, it's slow (slow...) on larger websites (try the Intel site, just for kicks! [or stupidly, for business]).

It's fast on some sites, but any with flash takes longer to load (not to meniton it doesn't have flash), and the browser, even compared a Atom based netbook, just cannot cut it at times.

That's why when I looked at this, basically the biggest net-top (a BIG pda) announced as of yet, I was taken aback - I'd be suprised if it will even browse the nVidia website at decent speed.


Sorry if I seem a bit on the attack here! I'm not, really, but I just don't really like the concept of upscaling a smartphone!

The iphone isnt using Tegra at all. It has a PowerVR core, not something from Nvidia. It also is using a Cortex A8 ARM chip, where Tegra is making due with something weaker.
 
The iphone isnt using Tegra at all. It has a PowerVR core, not something from Nvidia. It also is using a Cortex A8 ARM chip, where Tegra is making due with something weaker.

I know, I was just using it as a comparison!

EDIT: Though the Tegra using something weaker... I didn't know that.
 
First of all comparing Iphone to tegra is Apples to oranges.

Cortex is a 2 chip solution and one of the most "General Purpose" systems of the ARM line. That is what makes it so popular with DIY people (Beagle Board)

If one say throws firefox just compiled to work on Win CE on any ole ARM system Tegra will run it like a car without tires. Slow slow slow.

However Tegra is designed to render websites much much faster and smoother using its cores IF the software maker takes advantage of it. I believe Opera is the first in this case.
 
I like the sounds of $200 and 10 hours battery life.

But Windows CE?

Good god man...why not a linux variant of some sort?


I am usually all for a version of Windows on netbook/smartbook/wtfeverbook/, but Windows CE just seems like a stupid choice. How about Windows 3.1? DOS 6?


I dunno...just seems so limiting to use CE on this unit.


Hell, put Android on it.
 
I hate to run to Micro$ofts side here but there is a reason the first major product needs to use Windows.

The early age of atom based netbooks used linux. They had very high return rates.

People just dont like Linux on their desktops or laptops or anything bigger than a Zune. I know I keep trying and getting angry at just how many assumptions the linux devs still make.

But if you dont like Windows CE what on earth is stopping you from installing another OS?
 
Windows CE might turn me off a bit, but for 200 bucks and 10 hours battery life, I may buy one.
 
Is there a version of Office (or substitute) that can run on WindowsCE? How about Android?
 
Why would you want to do office work on this thing? The screen is too small for that and the keyboard is very small.

This is for watching 10 hours worth of youtube videos or playing some tegra version of quake. I doubt it can stand up to massive excel spreadsheets or the like.
 
Why would you want to do office work on this thing? The screen is too small for that and the keyboard is very small.

This is for watching 10 hours worth of youtube videos or playing some tegra version of quake. I doubt it can stand up to massive excel spreadsheets or the like.

What else what would it be good for besides basic word processing and internet browsing? Flash isn't supported on ARM processors yet, and even when it is, think the crappy hardware on these things will be able to decode anything better than standard def? I doubt it. And if I wanted to play quake, I'll do it on my desktop and enjoy a much better experience.
 
Flash on this thing is hardware accelerated. For instances intensive map utilities will work on this thing as well as Flash video

According to NVIDIA, Tegra is capable of up to 1080p video playback, hardware acceleration of Flash video, 25 days of music on a single charge and always-on processors with support for 3G, WiFi and WiMAX.

http://www.slashgear.com/nvidia-tegra-hits-12-new-mids-1080p-flash-gpu-huge-battery-life-0245538/


If you play an FPS on a desktop most likely it is not going to be quake it will be TF2 or CSS or some other modern game because they can work on even chipsets these days.

However on this thing the fact that you can even play quake without a big bulky laptop or a nettop with absolutely useless chipset (Intel) And at the same time be able to watch video (Different core) Is amazing.

WAY too many people are just looking at this and saying "Tis just an ARM 11 thy wont work well at tall" but its not just ARM 11 its a System on a chip that the ARM 11 is just a core of. It has the GPU and cores for different types of things such as HD video Encode and decode on seperate cores.

This is not a traditional system in the least bit. Its not a Cortex A8 (A more general purpose system) Its in a class of its own.
 
It says that Tegra will support flash in the future, when it can be GPU accelerated:

"In a separate announcement, NVIDIA announced that it has joined forces with Adobe to optimize and enable Adobe Flash to leverage the GPU (graphics processing unit) for visual computing so consumers can experience fluid Flash video and animations using a small fraction of the power needed by other netbooks."
 
Not surprising actually Tegra is like say a PSP. You know exactly what you are coding for and that will not change except for the Tegra 650 which I think just has a bit more ram and slightly faster ARM core. But the other stuff remains the same.

With normal desktops laptops and even Ion you have to code for alot of other stuff. Do you use CUDA and exclude ATI users? Do you use that Windows stuff and exclude Linux users? Far harder...

And yes there is Android and Windows CE but that is simple to deal with because that just requires a few tweaks and a recompiling per OS supported as long as that OS is running Tegra 600 or 650
 
So while we wait for the Smartbook to arrive why not describe what you could do with this thing if you are thinking of buying it?
 
So while we wait for the Smartbook to arrive why not describe what you could do with this thing if you are thinking of buying it?

I'm telling you, word processing!! For so little money, I would happily pick one up to check emails and work on basic homework when I'm going on a trip or something. Maybe even for going over notes in class. Doesn't require a lot of computational power and I don't have to carry around my 5.5 lbs T61. Total win!
 
I knew I waited for a reason.

This would be perfect for when I'm on the road and I have to do some office work.

My TP has mobile office, but it can't do big spreadsheets or it has Access; and my gaming laptop is too big for me to use on my lap.
 
Sounds like a good use for a 200USD system.

For me it is a mix of things. #1 I want it to be my main net machine. Posting on Hardforum or a political blog or watching youtube videos will be far better on the power bill with this thing. And I can sit in the backyard and do so without a bulky laptop that drains batteries like there is no tommorow.

Also it will give me a good excuse to play some older games again. Quake and its mods obviously (Old Team Fortress 4TW!) F-19 etc...
 
Considering the core system (Tegra) is only the size of a SODIMM, I wonder how thin they can realistically make these things. I don't particularly like the battery bar which protrudes out of the back shown in the concepts though. It would be better if they could design something into the body itself. Maybe make a large flat battery, like the one they are showing for the new HP Envy 13...
 
i wish i could do the whole 10" screen thing. there are many times a weak system would work fine, but i just dont like anything less then 12"... i feel that if i really want something that small and portable i'll just buy a touch pro 2 and get over the fact that its huge as a phone... at least its an awesome size for everything else.
 
Considering the core system (Tegra) is only the size of a SODIMM, I wonder how thin they can realistically make these things. I don't particularly like the battery bar which protrudes out of the back shown in the concepts though. It would be better if they could design something into the body itself. Maybe make a large flat battery, like the one they are showing for the new HP Envy 13...

The whole idea of that bar is to store a large amount of power cheaply and without taking up internal space.

Even with most of the PC on a SO-Dimm chip you still need lots of room on the inside. Taking that up with battery storage would make it harder to manufacture and thus more expensive.
 
The whole idea of that bar is to store a large amount of power cheaply and without taking up internal space.

Even with most of the PC on a SO-Dimm chip you still need lots of room on the inside. Taking that up with battery storage would make it harder to manufacture and thus more expensive.

But that bar really takes away from the thinness everywhere else. It might be a little tougher to design an internal battery, but it can't be all that bad considering tons of other notebooks are able to pull it off. And they have a LOT more hardware to cram into such a small space.
 
For 200USD it is all that bad. Especially as they are not one of the large laptop makers that know how to use battery space.

Atleast the bar can pivot giving you the ability to raise up the keyboard. That is an advantage.
 
For 200USD it is all that bad. Especially as they are not one of the large laptop makers that know how to use battery space.

Atleast the bar can pivot giving you the ability to raise up the keyboard. That is an advantage.

That's true but I'm sure companies are eventually going to move away from the reference design and come up with some cool concepts.
 
The only "Reference Design" Is the So-DIMM chip. All these designs are that of the companies not Nvidia.

For instance the same company is working on a tablet. Another is working on MIDs etc... Etc...
 
In any case, I can see companies like Lenovo and Dell getting in on this action. And they definitely have the technical know-how to improve the packaging.
 
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