Expensive high-end smartphones for savvy users, why not?

If you’ve noticed that this blog’s title is in the contrary with my previous one, then I’m glad it’s working. But because of that, then by now you can already guess what this blog is going to talk about.

I’m still intrigued by Nvidia’s CEO; Jen-Hsun Huang brawl talks with Intel few weeks back, like I’ve also have discussed here at PA. Some of you might think that the Nvidia’s CEO is either brave or have lost his mind to start a fight with Intel, but let’s take a second look on his reasons.

There’s this one from many of Huang’s comments during an interview with Brooke Crothers (News Blog) about a new trend in computing, that catches my interest: “The whole idea that the PC industry is good, better, best, faster microprocessors, more memory--that psychology of the PC industry is so yesterday". He then added more, "Not a single person believes it. Sony doesn't believe it. Dell doesn't believe it. HP doesn't believe it. God knows Apple doesn't believe it. Nobody believes it anymore."

That comment of his has reminded me of this new trend in computer hardwares, that I was talking about at another past post here at PA. For a quick reminder; computer hardwares are shrinking due to the popularity of web-based services. And for good examples are Sony’s Vaios, HP Mini-Note, Asus Eee PC & Apple’s MacBook Air.

Where the main processor in those sub-notebooks are not going to be needed to do hard works anymore, and the one that’s going to be more needed is the Graphic Processing Unit (GPU). Which the GPU will handle most of the growing animations and graphical rendering, that are mostly used in every web sites and applications. Perhaps someday, every computer will have a cool monitor that shows amazing graphics just like in the movie ‘Children of Men’ that I saw few weeks ago. ~pictured left~

Let’s not take a far example, for an instance is iPhone. iPhone’s main attraction is its graphical display, its intuitive user interface that’s powered with accelerator technology, and its top-notch Safari web browser. Those all have became a new standard for smartphones, a must have features so it can be called as high-end device. And thus creating another wave of competition among mobile device manufacturers, to create new high-end smartphones for savvy users. Of course, these new technologies and new shiny devices are always expensive to have.

Nvidia already aim for an integrated GPU processor and all purpose processor into one, with its new APX 2500 chipset. Just like what Huang have also explained in the interview: “There are going to be two important processors in the system. A microprocessor that is used for all kinds of complicated, unpredictable sequential code. And a parallel processor, called a GPU, that is really dedicated toward doing very parallel, very heavy-lifting mathematical operations." Can the tiny APX 2500 chipset delivers such integrated power to mobile phone? Only time will tell…

[blogged with my Treo 750v]