Looks like we'll never get to see that sweet Tegra chipset in a smartphone anytime soon, with the Zune HD coming the closest to such a device.

That's okay, as NVIDIA is poised to launch its next version of the powerhouse chipset in January at CES (and we'll be there to cover it, of course).  At CES, they will demonstrate the chipset on current and upcoming smartbooks, MIDs, netbooks and the like, then in the second half of the year a big push into the smartphone world.

We obviously don't really need to point out what is launching in late 2010, do we?

The Tegra 2 chip, at least according to Slashgear, is "...expected to have roughly twice the power and graphical capabilities of the original and be based on 40nm processes."  Considering how awesome the Zune HD is, that sounds pretty sweet to us if accurate.

Now just close your eyes and imagine it is one year from now ... aaahhh ... technology bliss and why am I fatter?

[via Slashgear]

As Tom's Hardware is reporting (via Nvidia's official press release), the Zune HD, which is using Nvidia's much-hyped Tegra chipset, has a whopping eight processors to achieve that super-smooth OS:

Specifically, the Tegra provides the Zune HD with eight independent processors, each designed for a specific class of tasks - among them are an HD video processor, an audio processor, a graphics processor, and two ARM cores. Furthermore, the processors can work together or independently to minimize power consumption.

The press release goes on to say that Nvidia has no fewer than "50 active Tegra processor-based design projects currently in the works today," which is a heck of a lot, if you ask us.

And since we believe WM7 devices are going to need Tegra (or Snapdragon) to run as a requirement, you can begin to understand just how massive an overhaul in raw-processing ability Microsoft's new mobile OS will be bringing in 2010.

Wasn’t it last year that Microsoft said it had no intentions of developing hardware for Windows Mobile?? Wasn’t that re-affirmed back in September that Microsoft is not in the handset game. Apparently, Scott Rockfeld’s statement that Microsoft has “no plans to build our own phone” was re-evaluated and we are learning that Microsoft may be developing hardware after all.

Electronista is reporting that Microsoft is in the latter stages of developing a Windows Mobile device along with Nvidia. This new device will be fitted with the new NVIDIA Tegra processor. The 700mhz processor that will give the phone 720p video playback and advanced 3D visuals capabilities that aren’t present on any current Windows Mobile device.

Indications are that Microsoft will introduce this new phone at the February 2009 Mobile World Congress. No word on a product name or any other particulars about the phone (any taker’s that it’ll be called ZUNE?). Could we see this new device be Microsoft’s flagship for Windows Mobile 6.5? Could this be the re-incarnation of the Sidekick? This news leaves open a wide assortment of possibilities and we will be watching closely to see what other surprises Microsoft has in store for the Windows Mobile community.

We already knew that nvidia was making a play for Windows Mobile with their “Tegra” line, matching up against the likes of Intel's Atom and Qualcomm's Snapdragon. Seemed like a long shot that they'd get major pick-up then and it still seems that way now, only a little less so. The eagle eyes over at wmpoweruser picked up on an nvidia press release that notes two interesting things.

First, Opera 9.5 is getting optimized for the Tegra platform -- which is a out-of-box set of CPU, GPU, and (yes, Virginia) hardware acceleration. Second, companies that opt for the Tegra platform to power their gadget will get that optimized version of Opera 9.5 for free.

The only real downside to this story is it looks like nvidia has let the date for when we'll actually see devices based on Tegra slip from Q4 of this year to sometime next year.

As Windows Mobile continues to explode (and the long drum beat of WM7 begins), it looks as if long time graphic card maker Nvidia is getting ready to debut their mobile processor designed specifically for WM devices.

Sweet.

What's even cooler is the promised speeds of 600 or 800mhz at less than 1 watt of power from this new "Tegra" line. The processor is actually "spread out" having several accelerators, as opposed to the Intel single-processor/multi-platform Atom solution.

Nvidia thinks that extra punch will give developers of Wm7 devices much more freedom in delivering those eye-popping custom UI graphics.

So when can we expect these bad boys? How about Q4 of this year. Not too bad. Along with Qualcomm's endless promises with "Snapdragon" (see our earlier coverage here), the mobile processor biz should get interesting real soon. It also looks as if the line between mobile phones and mini-PCs is about to get very blurry.

Read more about Nvidia's Tegra here

Source: T.Krazit Blog (Cnet) via Solsie