Tegra and Snapdragon powered netbooks getting ready

These devices may be launched as early as Q4 2009

Snapdragon and Tegra based netbooks might be launched by year end

According to a report by Digitimes (as cited by Engadget), a section of Taiwanese manufacturers are all set to launch netbooks based on the Snapdragon and Tegra platform, as early as Q4 2009. Users will be able to see the following devices by year end:

• Acer’s Android powered netbook
• Mobinnova’s 8.9-inch élan (for US and European markets)
• Inventec’s 10-inch Tegra based smartbook called the Rainbow
• A netbook based on above platform from Asus (won’t be launched before November 09)

Although the above reports can not be confirmed and are mere speculations but it will be really nice to see such devices in the market competing against the Intel Atom powered netbooks.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform offers a great combination of processing power and battery life. In terms of connectivity it offers 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth capability, and GPS. Snapdragon-based devices are thin, ultra-portable and easy to use, with an intuitive user interface, and mobile OS. They have the capability to decode HD video, support high resolution displays, and offer improved 3D graphics.

Similarly, Nvidia’s Tegra system-on-chip with an ARM processor has been developed by NVIDIA for devices such as smartphones, PDAs, and MIDs. The Tegra integrates CPU, GPU, northbridge, southbridge, and memory controller onto a single package. This platform also provides decent performance and good battery life.

It would be interesting to see netbooks based on this platform. Earlier, we have had a glimpse of such devices at the Computex trade fair which was held earlier this year. There are a number of smartphones available in the market that run on these platforms and look quite promising, but, the performance of these processors on a netbook is yet to be seen.