Nvidia might have previously set its sights on being at the forefront of the tablet market, but it appears the firm's attention has now broadened to the Tegra 2's role in what the company is billing as the era of the 'superphone'.

According to VentureBeat, Nvidia's dual core Tegra 2 chip set will be unveiled within scores of smartphones – and, indeed, tablets – at CES 2011 in January.

It'll be part of a drive towards the evolution of the smartphone into a genuine range of superphones, claims Nvidia's general manager of mobile Mike Rayfield.

Super smart

"I'd bet that CES 2011 will usher in the year that fully fledged superphones hit the market and really take off, building on the first stirrings of the concept that Google introduced with its phone," Rayfield said in a blog post.

"The term superphone began to simmer earlier this year.

"What you should expect at CES is for the superphone category to really reach full boil."

Time for Tegra 2The firm's Tegra 2 chip set, which LG plans to employ within the Android-powered Optimus 2X, is rumoured to be behind Motorola's forthcoming Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) tablet.

Analysts also claim Samsung has placed a significant order for Tegra 2 chips for the first half of 2011, set to be equipped within smartphones and tablets alike.

Nvidia itself is scheduled to give a press conference at CES on January 5.

[source: VentureBeat]