MobileTechReview Forum, News and Reviews: NVIDIA Announces Tegra Note Android Tablet with Pen

NVIDIA has officially announced the Tegra Note, a 7" Android tablet with a digital pen. Unlike the NVIDIA Shield, the company won't market and sell the tablet directly. Instead, they'll handle it much the way they do their graphics cards: create the hardware, software and even offer software updates while letting their partners do the packaging, marketing, customizing and sales to consumers. In the US that means EVGA and PNY, while ZOTAC will handle Europe and Asia along with other partners.

So what is the Tegra Note? It's a 7 inch Android tablet running on the new Tegra 4 CPU. Suggested list price is $199 and the tablet will have NVIDIA DirectStylus, which we believe is a new form of precise capacitive pen that may support pressure sensitivity. The display resolution is an unimpressive 1280 x 800, but remember this is an affordable tablet so you won't get all the bells and whistles. This is the device formerly known as Chimera.

Features:

Ultra-fast performance -- Powered by Tegra 4 with a 72-core GeForce GPU and quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU with a fifth battery-saver core, making Tegra Note the world's fastest 7-inch tablet.

Superb stylus -- NVIDIA DirectStylus technology transforms a normal stylus into an incredibly responsive experience with finer point and broader stroke control. It also comes bundled with apps for convenient, stroke-based note taking.

Exceptional sound -- NVIDIA PureAudio technology offers rich, deep audio -- including the widest frequency range in a tablet -- through front-facing stereo speakers with a bass-reflex port.

Groundbreaking camera -- The camera uses Tegra 4's processing power and Chimera computational photography architecture to deliver stunning new features. Tegra Note also brings SmugMug's Camera Awesome app -- one of the top camera apps on iOS -- to Android. Camera Awesome delivers exclusive Tegra 4 features like tap-to-track and 100 fps video with slow-motion playback.

TegraZone gaming -- Delivering unmatched gaming, NVIDIA TegraZone provides easy access to Tegra-optimized games with visual effects that aren't available on other tablets. Tegra Note also supports a variety of game controllers for console-class gaming.

Great battery life -- 10-plus hours of HD video playback.

Accessories galore -- An intelligent slide cover flips and bends to support and cover the tablet. It also lets the tablet be set up in three distinct positions using built-in magnets for added flexibility. The DirectStylus Pro Pack enables a variety of writing styles with interchangeable tips. And Bluetooth capabilities turn the tablet into a game controller.

On top of that, users get over-the-air (OTA) software updates provided directly by NVIDIA. This will help ensure customers have current software, offering the richest experience with their devices.

Specs:

Processor Tegra 4 mobile processor with quad-core Cortex-A15 CPU and 72-core GeForce GPU

Display 7-inch HD IPS LCD display (1280 x 800)

Camera Rear 5MP and front VGA webcam

Storage 16GB storage with microSD expandable up to an additional 32GB

Audio Front-facing "HD Audio" stereo speakers with a unique bass-reflex port

StylusChisel and Brush tips for natural writing and broad strokes

Peripherals Micro HDMI connector to drive big screen TV videos and gaming
OS 100% Android with latest version of the OS

Software Updates- Over-the-air software updates directly from NVIDIA

Battery Life- 10 hours HD video playback

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Lisa Gade
Editor in Chief, MobileTechReview