Nvidia plans to produce Tegra II platform in 2010

The first computers based on Nvidia's Tegra platform have yet to hit the market, but that company is already talking up its successor, Tegra II.

Tegra combines an Nvidia graphics processor with Arm processor cores, packing nearly all of the components required for a computer on a motherboard that's about the same size as a stick of gum. Expected to hit the market before the end of this year, laptops based on Tegra will offer long battery life and the ability to play high-definition video and 3D graphics, Nvidia said.

Tegra II will improve on Tegra by adding more powerful processor cores and increasing memory speed while also extending battery life, Nvidia said. The chips are set for production next year, it said.

Nvidia unveiled the first Tegra-based laptops at the Computex exhibition in Taipei on Tuesday. These systems are expected to hit the market before the end of this year, priced at around $199, it said.