Tablets running on Nvidia's new quad-core Tegra mobile processor should begin shipping in August, says the chip company. Code-named Project Kal-El, this newest generation Tegra was first demonstrated at Mobile World Congress (MWC) earlier this week, and incorporates a 12-core GPU that's part of its system-on-a-chip architecture.

The new processor was demoed on an Android-based development tablet decoding an incredibly high resolution 1440p (2560 by 1440 pixels) video in real time and output to a 30-inch monitor. According to ZDNet, the new processor even topped the Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 laptop CPU on the Coremark 1.0 benchmark. In addition, Nvidia claims that tablets built using the new processor can provide up to 12 hours of HD video playback on a single charge--under the right circumstances.

Of course, the most popular tablet operating systems today such as Android 3.0 and the Apple iOS, are probably not optimized to take full advantage of four-core processors, and RIM's (NASDAQ: RIMM) upcoming PlayBook due to be released in Q1 will only ship with the dual-core Tegra 2. The move to support quad-core chips should be quick however, as device makers position their products at various price niches in the ballooning tablet industry. Moreover, Qualcomm at MWC also announced its forthcoming dual-core and quad-core Snapdragon chips at up to 2.5GHz per core.

The rapid pace of innovation begs the question: Should users simply wait until August before making their tablet purchase. On the other hand, first-generation tablet adopters who bought an iPad when it was launched will have ample upgrade options to look forward to once the 2011 holiday season comes around.

For more on this story:
- check out this article at Wall Street Journal
- check out this article at InformationWeek
- check out this article at ZDNet Blogs
- check out this article at Engadget

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