We have previously said that Tegra 4 is among the best technologies that will drive tablets in 2013 and NVIDIA wants to make sure it doesn't become too high a price for most users. To that end, the chip-maker has launched the NVIDIA Tegra Note, a hardware and software platform for tablet manufacturers to come up with great quality tablets at a low price. In fact, NVIDIA expects the price to be as low as $199.

Two salient features include a built-in stylus, specifically using NVIDIA's DirectStylus technology for finer point and broader stroke control, coupled with specialized apps. The Tegra Note also brings SmugMug's iOS-exclusive Camera Awesome app to the 5-megapixel camera, with features like tap-to-track and 100 fps video with slow-motion playback.

One of the best parts is that NVIDIA itself will be responsible for OTA (Over The Air) firmware updates for the Android OS experience, ensuring updates will be faster and smoother.

The reference design is for a 7-inch tablet with an HD IPS (1280x800 pixels) display. It leverages some of NVIDIA's core technologies, such as the powerful Tegra 4 processor (quad-core Cortex A15 with fifth battery-saver core), NVIDIA PureAudio for enhanced sound through front speakers and the TegraZone gaming add-on, which we already saw in our NVIDIA Shield review. There's 16GB of built-in memory, with a microSD slot for more. The tablet is expected to have a battery life of up to 10 hours of continuous HD video playback.

NVIDIA has tied up with several partners across the world to roll out tablets based on this platform in the next few months, including EVGA and PNY Technologies in North America; EVGA, Oysters and ZOTAC in Europe; Colorful, Shenzhen Homecare Technology and ZOTAC in Asia-Pacific; and XOLO in India.

Source: NVIDIA Blog