NVIDIA teams with Opera in new assault on the Mobile Web
The mobile Web looks like it's about to catch fire.
Not content with smartphones that really are smart from the likes of Apple, Google's Android, Nokia's Symbian platform and Windows Mobile (which has just received a boost thanks to Sony Ericsson's decision to open up the new Panels-based user interface on its forthcoming XPERIA X1 smartphone), graphics chip company NVIDIA have announced a deal with browser developer Opera to create a new optimized version of the Opera 9.5 mobile browser that should bring a real desktop browsing experience to mobile phones.
Specifically, NVIDIA have developed a range of computer-on-chip er, chips, that feature Windows Mobile bruned directly into the hardware. Called NVIDIA Tegra, the new family of chips will also feature the Opera 9.5 browser, and will support JavaScript, accelerated vector graphics and video content.
OK, so most other smartphone browsers also do the same, but where the NVIDIA Tegra chips differ is in what the hardware can do to support mobile browsing. It's not just desktop-like browsing that you'll get - these chips provide hardware-accelerated (i.e. really really fast!) rich media, image and in-page video, as well as the ability to smoothly pan around and zoom into and out of a WEb page without any latency whatsoever.
If you've ever tried a Toshiba Portege G910, you'll know how frustrating a really slow Windows Mobile smartphone can be. With an NIVIDIA Tegra chipset and the Opera browser inside a smartphone, though, slowness is not even a consideration - these things should fly!
Looks like 2009 really will be the year the Mobile Web finally comes of age.
[Source: IntoMobile]
