Not only was the Asus Transformer Prime just announced within the last few minutes, but NVIDIA also brought their new quad-core processor out of its codename state. Project Kal-El can now officially be referred to as NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor. As the world’s first quad-core chipset for mobile devices, it can deliver up to 5x the performance over their Tegra 2 dual-core processor that was released earlier this year. It combines a PC-class CPU and 3x faster GPU with stereo 3D support to deliver incredible power and a long battery life with less power consumption.

Using the Tegra 3′s new patented Variable SMP architecture, this chipset can switch between four main cores and a fifth lower-power “companion” core to extend battery life and make your tablet perform much more efficiently. For those of you that had concerns about single-charge life, this should allow you to have some faith. It’s obvious that NVIDIA not only focused on power, but they focused equally on how to make devices last longer.

The Tegra 3 will be featured first in the Transformer Prime, but you have to imagine that it will find its way into other tablets before too long. No word yet on when we might see a processor of this magnitude in a phone other than rumors yesterday of the HTC Edge.

To learn everything thing else there is to know about the Tegra 3, you will want to jump past the break. We have videos, comparison photos, and a performance break down. Can you feel the power yet?  

Is the world really ready for a quad-core phone? Whether we are ready or not,the HTC Edge might be the first. The photo above has leaked along with a bunch of rumored specs that include it being powered by NVIDIA’s latest creation, the Tegra 3. It could also sport a 4.7″ screen, Beats audio technology, 1GB of RAM, 8MP camera, and HTC’s new Sense 4.0. No word yet on if it will be released with Ice Cream Sandwich, but you have to imagine that with those specs, that Android 4.0 will become a reality before too long. Rumored launch of late Q1 or early Q2 has been tossed out.  

Benchmarks on Android devices have become sort of silly these days – some take them as gospel to decide if this device is better than that device. We recommend that you take them as if they are just one small puzzle piece to the overall board, because a result in a benchmark app is not something to base the purchase of a phone on. With that said, we still like to see them for devices that just so happen to be running a brand new quad-core processor that has not previously been benched.

According to AnTuTu’s benchmarking app, someone showed up to the party with an Asus Transformer Prime and threw down. If you look at the screen shot above, you will see it clocked at 1.4GHz and putting out numbers that make every other device on the planet look like they were hangin’ with Prince in 1999. See the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy SII in there? The SGS2 formerly killed any other device in site with its Exynos chipset – that will apparently happen no more now that NVIDIA’s Kal-El quad-core processor is on the way.

Impressed?

Via:  Engadget

Looks like we have a new fan favorite in the tablet game. The ASUS Transformer Prime has been receiving lots of love recently and the tablet just got a serious tear-down treatment over at the FCC. The people over at Wireless Goodness have great eyes and have managed to snag some excellent pictures from the FCC. We get to see all the guts of the quad-core tablet that is sure to change the game. We can easily spot the NVIDIA Tegra 3 “Kal-El” processor along with all the other wirey innards of the much anticipated tablet. More neat pics down below. 

Asus has already made it clear that an announcement for their new Transformer Prime is coming on November 9, but could that also be the launch date? According to their Q3 investor document, that is exactly what will happen. And not only do they plan to launch this device then, but Asus wants to take firm hold of the Android tablet market and likely start to crack into Apple’s by releasing two additional slates in Q1 of next year. Could that be the silly Padfone and a new Slider?

Quite a bit of “perfection” talk going on in that document. Asus must be feelin’ really good about their new line of tablets which likely has a lot to do with the inclusion of NVIDIA’s quad-core Kal-El processors.

Via:  NetbookNews, (PDF)

You all know SHADOWGUN by now, right? The game that brings beautiful console-quality graphics to your Tegra 2 powered device? Well, folks, it has finally been released and can be found through NVIDIA’s Tegra Zone for $4.99.

We have had the game for a couple of weeks now to get a good feel for it and can easily say that this is one of the more graphically impressive games we have ever seen on a tablet. No one is lying when they say “console-quality.” The AI (artificial intelligence) is fairly advanced, the gameplay itself has been thought out precisely for tablets, and the 3D environments are obviously top notch. Again, it looks phenomenal.

You can view the game in action through a number of videos here and here.  

With the promo video for NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 leaking last night, plus the fact that head honchos from both NVIDIA and Asus will be speaking at AsiaD this week, we have been sort of expecting the Transformer 2 to be announced. To add to that theory, this new teaser video was just uploaded to Asus’ Youtube page, giving us a ultra-metallic preview of what may be. Their every-popular dock is featured along with the words “The next Transformation” – could they drop any bigger hints? No mention of the processor, specs or release, but they certainly want us to know that “it’s coming.”

Cheers Jacob!

The AsiaD conference is right around the corner (as in tomorrow).  With scheduled appearances from NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, plus ASUS Chairman Jonney Shih, you shouldn’t be surprised if they unveil the Transformer 2 at some point.  The device is rumored to be powered by NVIDIA’s next generation processor called the Tegra 3 whose code name, “Kal-El” has been the talk of the town over the last few months for its speed and power efficiency.