Nvidia Tegra Ultra
Whether or not Apple finally comes out with a long-rumored touchscreen tablet is yet to be determined, but for their part Nvidia and Verizon Wireless spent CES week together showing off their own new 1080p Internet-connected touchscreen tablet.
Whether tablets—which are basically touchscreen monitors like smart phones (only larger) which usually must be held—are one of the "next-big-things" for consumers likely will be answered in the next couple of years.
The CES demo showcased Nvidia's so-called Tegra-powered Ultra tablet, which was designed by Innovative Converged Devices to use the ultra-broad bandwidth of a 4G wireless modem from Motorola. The unit operated via Verizon's Wireless LTE network, which is designed to allow fast broadband speeds anywhere, including HD streaming.
Verizon said its collaboration with Nvidia was made possible by the Verizon Wireless LTE Innovation Center, which the telco-FiOS company said was created in order "to provide an environment for diverse companies to work together in developing innovative products that leverage 4G LTE technology."
Nvidia said its Tegra-brand mobile processors can enable uninterrupted 1080p streaming for "several hours" on a single charge.
Prior to CES, Verizon Wireless had announced plans to build a 4G LTE network in the United States for supporting HD streams. More than two dozen markets could be started here in 2010.
