NVIDIA Corporation

Nvidia took the wraps off a new notebook technology Tuesday that chooses the best graphics processor for running any given application and then automatically routes the workload to either a Nvidia discrete graphics processor unit (GPU) or an integrated graphics processor (IGP) offering from Intel. Called Optimus, the technology will soon be available on several next-generation ASUS notebook PCs, Nvidia said.

Nvidia is poised to roll out an advanced graphics processor unit that aims to usher in a new era of 3-D gaming. Called the GF100, the new graphics chip is expected to deliver the horsepower for running games across three panels featuring high-definition resolutions of up to 1920x1080 pixels -- an immersive gaming environment that the company has dubbed "3D Vision Surround."

Tablets are front and center at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, and Nvidia wants to be the power behind the trendy devices. Nvidia launched its next-generation Tegra processor on Thursday, marketing it as the first processor for the mobile web and specifically designed for the high-resolution needs of tablets.

Consumers will be able to fix their automobiles while the car gives step-by-step advice, attack their ailments by making computer models of various treatments to find the best one, and duck into virtual fitting rooms to try on a store's clothes without leaving home.

Nvidia have delayed the last piece of its GPU puzzle. After two delays in getting its Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA) out the door in November and then again in January, reports say Nvidia has pushed the architecture code-named Fermi later into next year.

Fermi was the last piece in Nvidia's GPU computing puzzle, analysts say. The CUDA architecture brings the high-performance piece to the table. High-performance computing applications are expected to benefit from the first GPU to have an on-chip cache and off-chip shared memory.

Is Google looking to compete with Apple in the consumer hardware business? Even before the Google-branded Nexus One smartphone has been officially announced, news comes that Google is preparing a muscular Chrome OS-based netbook for release in 2010.

Intel has delayed plans for an advanced graphics chip based on its Larrabee silicon and software development, and it may be because of a Federal Trade Commission investigation into alleged anticompetitive behavior. Larrabee is a complex, multi-year project focused on a new approach to graphics and high-performance computing, according to Intel.

Intel couldn't afford to let it drag on. The world's largest chipmaker announced on Nov. 12 that it would pay $1.25 billion to resolve allegations by Advanced Micro Devices that its larger rival competes unfairly in the market for computer chips.

Lenovo has taken the wraps off its latest IdeaPad laptop and IdeaCentre desktop offerings, which are built around Intel's ultra-low-power Core processor family and ship with Windows 7 aboard. All the new products are slated to go on sale at U.S. retail outlets and online resellers between now and December.

With the launch of Windows 7 this week, PC makers are trying some new things, including laptops with touch screens. Acer Inc. is going further -- introducing a laptop with a 3-D screen.

The abstrusely named Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 has a 15.6-inch screen that, with the help of special glasses, appears to take on depth if used with the right games or movies.