Nvidia provided a press release that documents the "Highlights" of the new 400 mobile series of parts. Apparently, the highlights do not include the TDP of the cards, as these figures were omitted. Apple and HP seem to be abstaining wholly from the 400 series release at this point. Nvidia is claiming the cards should be approximately 40% faster than the 300 series (which was just the 200 series, rebadged). It would be awesome to see the GTX 460/470 in laptops, so long as they can still use the term 'laptop'.

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It's long been something of a rumor that Nvidia would be and is developing their own x86 cpu. Rivals Intel and AMD obviously are in both GPU and CPU markets, so why wouldn't Nvidia want a slice of that tasty pie? With markets heading towards CPU+GPU on a single chip, Nvidia would otherwise be left holding an empty bag should that roadmap be obtained by its rivals. Nvidia has long had issues with Intel, regarding licensing, speculation about Larabee, and other general disagreements. With its recent relations problems with Apple as a reuslt of the mobile 8x00 series fiasco, and ATI products being moved into Apple's lineup, it would seem Nvidia has more foes than friends these days.

Charlie Demerjian, a long outspoken critic of Nvidia's practices, claims to have inside sources revealing that Nvidia is planning on achieving its x86 goal with Tegra 5, currently slated for a 2012-13 release. He goes on to report that the cpu will be based off an ARM Eagle core, a setup in similar fasion tried by Transmeta, and explains a whole host of problems Nvidia is possibly facing, ranging from x86 licensing to performance, before ultimately declaring the project just isn't feasible.

Harsh rhetoric or hard reality?

Source: SemiAcc
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It never fails that after Apple releases a new and "revolutionary" device to the market, everyone else and their mom wants to follow-up and get a piece of that success. With the impending tablet onslaught, one has to wonder exactly how big the market is for tablets. Has everyone who wants one already gotten one? Will a lack of third-party development stifle any competitors from making headway into the market? 

LG's Optimus tablet that is better than the iPad is on its way, HP's WebOS based Tablet is slated (see what I did there?) for Q1 2011, and also there's MSI's Wind tablet, Blackberry's BlackPad, Apple's rumored 7-inch iPad.. I could go on all day with many more tablets -- who's going to come away with pockets bulging full of money, and who's going to come away with a cardboard sign and a plastic cup? Will netbooks be ruled irrelevant?

If the past is any indication (Imac all-in-ones, anyone?) we can expect that devices will be released from a myraid of others, with success measured only by teaspoons.

What're you looking forward to, and why?

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