Could "Kal-El" Tablets Provide The iPad With A Bit Of Competition?
by Joe White
May 30, 2011
NVDIA has recently released a demo video that essentially shows off the company's quad-core Tegra 3 chip (codename: "Kal-El). Unlike Apple's impressive dual-core A5 processor, the Tegra 3 combines four processing cores with 12 graphics units, which support 3D stereo.
The Apple A5 chip is an incredibly powerful processor, and is responsible for the iPad 2's impressive speed and graphics (it's twice as fast as the previous generation). Currently, we're all very impressed with the device's super-fast graphics. However, NVDIA's quad-core Tegra 3 processor could knock the Apple A5 off its silicon throne.
If NVDIA's recently released demo video is anything to go by, the processor looks to be something of a game-changer. As mentioned, the processor itself features four cores and 12 GeForce graphics units, and as a result, has the ability to run some powerful apps. NVDIA's video demonstrates the processor running inside an Android Honeycomb tablet, in an app called "Glowball."
Here's what NVDIA has to say about the video:
The ball serves as the light source. As it rolls, it casts its effect on different objects. This shows off the power of true dynamic lighting, rendered in real-time with physics (no canned animations here, folks). Thanks to Project Kal-El, Glowball’s true dynamic lighting brings more life and interactivity to a 3D environment. This marks the first time this type of lighting is feasible on a mobile device.We've embedded the video below for you to check out, because it really is impressive. If NVIDA's Tegra 3 features within future smart phones and tablets (which could presumably hit the market as early as this year), we can likely expect Apple to further improve its own processor chip, adding an extra two cores and launching a quad-core Apple A6 processor with the iPad 3, next year. We'll keep you posted. In the meantime check out the video below, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. [via 9to5Mac]
