Nvidia Prepping for 3D Mobile Revolution

Get ready for a deluge of 3D-capable mobile devices in 2011 including smartphones, tablets and netbooks, if the latest rumors are correct. Nvidia is reportedly planning an upgraded version of its Tegra 2 processor specifically targeted for mobile devices with 3D displays. Nvidia plans to announce its upgraded system-on-chip in February during a company presentation at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, according to TechEye.

A leaked slide purportedly from Nvidia's MWC presentation shows the 3D-focused chip will be based on a dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor with speeds up to 1.2GHz. The rumored Tegra 2.5 would go into production before the end of March and be released by the spring. Nvidia's current version of the Tegra 2, announced in January 2010, features a dual core ARM Cortex A9 with speeds up to 1 GHz.

3D Mobile Deluge?

Just like every other part of the tech industry, 3D is the hot trend for mobile devices. Sharp in November announced two Android-based smartphones with 3D-capable displays, and Nintendo has been making a lot of waves with the impending release of its glasses-free Nintendo 3DS on March 27.

It's not clear what kind of devices the rumored Tegra 2.5 would appear in first, but the assumption is that a deluge of 3D-capable smartphones, tablets, and netbooks could be here by the summer.

Chrome OS?

Engadget unearthed an interesting tidbit of chatter going on in the Chromium OS message boards. It appears the open source code monkeys working on Chromium OS have been busy adding 1.25 GHz clock support for something called the T25 from Nvidia.

Now, I'm not going to jump ahead and suggest a 3D-capable Chrome OS netbook is in the works, but this little tidbit does lend credence to the rumor that a Tegra 2.5 running at 1.2GHz is coming soon.

Like it or not, the 3D mobile revolution appears to be on the horizon. The question is will there be compelling content to make a 3D mobile display worth using?

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