NVIDIA sees its mobile system-on-a-chip graphics solutions surpassing the performance of the Xbox 360 in the coming years. A new graph the company shared with AnandTech highlights the performance of Tegra chips in comparison to those found within PCs and gaming consoles. The solid lines are estimated performance, while the dotted lines are trends. NVIDIA estimates that at some point in 2013, mobile graphic performance will match the Xbox 360 and by 2014, mobile performance will surpass that of the Xbox 360. Of course processor performance is hardly the only piece of the puzzle when it comes to gaming, and Microsoft and Sony will each have new consoles on the market in 2014.

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During Apple’s press event on Wednesday, the Cupertino-based company took direct aim at NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 processor, claiming its own A5X chip delivers four times the performance. The company neglected to show hard evidence to support its claim, however. Ken Brown, a spokesman for NVIDIA, told ZDNet that while it was “certainly flattering” to be mentioned by Apple, the performance claims are unfounded without more data. “We don’t have the benchmark information,” Brown said. “We have to understand what the application was that was used. Was it one or a variety of applications? What drivers were used? There are so many issues to get into with benchmark.” When Apple’s new iPad goes on sale on March 16th, NVIDIA plans to run tests in order to determine whether or not Apple’s claims hold water. “At some point it will become more clear what the performance really is,” Brown concluded. “For now, Apple has a really generic statement.”

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Research In Motion still has a few big-name firms in its corner — Macquarie is one example — but even long-time supporters seem to be losing patience with the Waterloo, Ontario-based vendor. “We don’t see valuation improving until RIM addresses four key issues, which we think keep investors from properly valuing the company,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky wrote in a note to investors on Tuesday. “We view recent Q2 results as symptomatic of RIM’s failure to address these challenges.” Abramsky goes on to list four points RIM must address in order to right the ship, the first of which is escaping its tendency to launch “backwards-looking, uncompetitive products and software.” Read on for more.

“Four years after iPhone launched, RIM still hasn’t launched competitive Smartphone innovations or addressed its ‘app gap’,” the analyst noted. “With QNX, we believe RIM needs to renew its focus on innovative, bold user experiences.” The second key challenge RIM faces is lack of marketing and poor execution, which Abramsky says are allowing competitors to pass RIM by. “RIM continues to ship products late (e.g., BlackBerry 7) and incomplete (PlayBook minus 3G/email, underpowered Torch 1; Torch 9850/9860 with inferior virtual keyboard, etc.). RIM needs to improve execution as competitors are bringing their ‘A’ game, and have out-maneuvered RIM on marketing, positioning it as passé.”

Number three on Abramsky’s list is improving credibility and visibility with investors. RIM’s inability to provide reliable guidance has created “a formidable credibility gap with the investment community that needs correcting,” according to the analyst. One key are where RIM might regain confidence from investors takes us to Abramsky’s fourth and final challenge: governance. ”To us, RIM’s board has an opportunity to take a more active role in providing a ‘check and balance’ on key management decisions,” the analyst wrote.

RBC lowered its fiscal 2012 and 2013 EPS estimates to $4.95 and $5.00 from earlier estimates of $5.60 and $6.15. The firm also slashed its price target on RIM stock to $29 from $35 on lower earnings outlook, reiterating its Sector Perform rating.

HP began rolling out the webOS 3.0.2 update to its TouchPad tablet on Monday evening. The software update is expected to improve the performance and stability of the device and also includes a number of enhancements. According to HP’s change log, webOS 3.0.2 offers improvements to the calendar, email, music, photos and videos, and web browser applications. Users should now see faster scrolling inside email with improved message content and image display. In addition, HP has reduced audio skipping while the TouchPad is multitasking and has improved the speed and accuracy of text assist. The company has also dropped the price of the TouchPad by $50 until September 10th, which means you can pick up a 16GB model for $449 or a 32GB model for $549. Read on for a full list of the webOS 3.0.2 changes.

Calendar

• Quicker Just Type event search and event creation
• Improved handling of meeting cancellations

Email:

Faster scrolling

Improved message content and image display

Improved management of multiple emails in Draft and Outbox views

Music

• Reduced audio skipping when the device is running other applications
• Better display of album art

Photos & Videos

• Added ability to set wallpapers
• Faster and more reliable handling of individual photos and albums

Text Assist

• Improved speed and accuracy of auto-corrections

Web

• Increased scrolling support compatibility within web pages
• Improved performance of remote HTML5 video playback
• Improved responsiveness of auto correction within the browser

webOS System

• Fixed issues with oversensitive screen rotation

Security

This release addresses a number of security issues with HP webOS software.

Japanese blog Macotakara.jp is reporting from parts makers in Asia that Apple’s upcoming MacBook Air refresh, expected in the next two weeks, will use super-speedy 400Mbps NAND flash storage chips. In addition to being incredibly fast — even faster that the current MacBook Air solution, which uses an mSATA connector to connect the SSD to the motherboard — these new NAND flash storage chips would be soldered directly to the motherboard, bypassing any connector. If true, this new change would result in 100-times performance increase over the current solution, and coupled with a rumored bump to i5 / i7 processors, the new MacBook Airs should absolutely fly.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

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Facing stiff competition from Samsung, LG, and Apple, Motorola Mobility has seen a slump in its share price and market share following a recent downgrade from analyst firm BMO. According to Dow Jones News Wires, Motorola Mobility’s share of the Android market took off like a rocket when it introduced the highly sought-after Motorola DROID on Verizon in 2009. However, its Android share fell from 33% last year to just 14% in the first quarter as other manufacturers began pumping out competing Android devices, some at lower price points. Reportedly, BMO has cut Motorola Mobility’s earnings per share target for the year and has dropped its price target from $26 to $19. Motorola Mobility last closed at $22, down from its 52-week high of $36.54.

Qualcomm has released a few videos promoting its next-generation dual-core Mobile Development Platform, which includes its blazing fast MSM8660 Snapdragon processor. The video shows the platform’s Adreno 220 graphics processing unit chewing through 720p HD video. Similarly, Qualcomm’s single-core QSD8255 processor bests an LG Optimus 2X, powered by a a 1GHz dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, in a Flash load test. What’s so exciting about that? The MSM8660 Snapdragon chipset powers devices such as the HTC EVO 3D, headed to Sprint, and the HTC Sensation 4G for T-Mobile that will launch in the coming months. Hit the jump for two quick videos.

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Verizon Wireless has announced that it will issue a software update for the HTC ThunderBolt on May 3rd. The update will enhance the connectivity to Verizon’s 3G network – when a 4G signal isn’t available, of course – and will also fix some email and SMS bugs so that messages are stored properly in your inbox. Verizon also said that, after the patch is applied, the Backup Assistant application will display properly in the applications menu. Other fixes include faster loading of GPS updates and stability improvements for Facebook, KAYAK, Yahoo! Mail, My Verizon, and others. Unfortunately, the update doesn’t appear to offer any improvements to the ThunderBolt’s notoriously bad battery life.

[Via Mobile Burn]

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Motorola has announced that there is a new software update available for the Verizon Wireless DROID Pro. Unfortunately the patch will not update your DROID Pro to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but it should reduce the frequency of UI lockups, offer improved audio during calls, and the following fixes:

Improved audio on voice calls.

Improved stability and performance.

User interface display now refreshes when user switches from GSM/UMTS communication to Global Mode.

Device now prepends 011 to Country Code to send SMS messages.

Global Mode no longer resets when connecting to a USB charger.

Visual Voice Mail now detects airplane mode while Wi-Fi is active.

Prompt return to full screen brightness after wake-up.

Upgraded Bluetooth firmware.

Improved interoperability with Microsoft Internet Application Gateway (IAG) configurations.

Device string format for Exchange changed to include device name and version number.

Upgrade to Google applications Release 7

For more information on the software update, hit up Verizon Wireless’ support forums located at www.verizonwireless.com/droidprosupport.

[Via Mobile Burn]

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Apple has updated iTunes to version 10.2.2, which should fix several errors that have caused iPads to lock up during sync. The update also applies stability and performance improvements and fixes a bug that has caused iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch units to sync for longer than is necessary. Apple also said iTunes 10.2.2 will fix skipping issues that occur during video previews in the iTunes Store. Users should be prompted to install the latest version of iTunes upon program launch.

[Via Mobile Burn]

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Web browsers always look to strike a balance between speed and functionality, but not enough focus on the former can easily spoil a user’s experience. Mozilla has put a great deal of time and effort working speed improvements into the latest version of its Firefox browser but sometimes all that hard work is for naught due to slow add-ons from third-party developers. In an effort to raise awareness and to push developers to optimize their plugins, perhaps, Mozilla has published a list of the add-ons that slow down Firefox the most. Among the worst offenders are FoxLingo, AniWeather, FoxyTunes and Xmarks Sync. In a bit of irony, an add-on called “FastestFox” that is supposed to speed up browsing by simplifying repetitive tasks is No.8 on Mozilla’s list. If you’ve been experiencing some slowness in Firefox and are wondering which add-ons might be the culprit, hit the read link for Mozilla’s complete list.

[Via Lifehacker]

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According to several, leaked internal screen shots obtained by TmoNews, the highly-anticipated NoDo Windows Phone 7 update could begin rolling out to owners of the T-Mobile HTC HD7 smartphone as soon as Today. Users should start seeing a pop-up notification alerting them of the update, at which point they’ll need to connect their phones to a computer and install the update through Microsoft’s Zune Player software. NoDo will bring copy/paste functionality, improvements to Wi-Fi and the camera, along with several speed and performance enhancements. For now this is just a rumor, but it’s entirely possible given that Microsoft began pushing out the NoDo update in Europe last week. We’ll be sure to keep you updated if we hear more on NoDo being deployed to the HD7 today.

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Apple has released OS X 10.6.7 for Mac computers, and it includes some stability, performance, and security enhancements. It also fixes display issues that have been plaguing early 2011 MacBook Pro models. The update should make the Back to My Mac software more reliable, resolves some issues that occurred while transferring files to SMB servers, addresses bugs related to FaceTime performance and the Mac App Store, and improves graphics stability and display compatibility when using your MacBook Pro with an external monitor. The entire update should be roughly 390MB in size and can be downloaded through Snow Leopard’s software update utility.

An LG exec was recently heard voicing concerns surrounding the Windows Phone 7 platform, basically saying that the new OS has potential but sales aren’t meeting expectations. He also reportedly said that savvy smartphone users might find the platform “boring.” Lucky for Microsoft, Europe’s largest cellular carrier doesn’t appear to share LG’s opinion. Deutsche Telekom, owner of the massive European network T-Mobile, is hardly bored with the emerging mobile operating system, having told German Press Agency dpa that Windows Phone 7 sales to date have been excellent. “We are ahead of budget, Microsoft is very pleased,” Deutsche Telekom’s head of consumer marketing Ingo Hofacker said at a CeBIT preview in Munich. As huge as the European market is, it’s great to see a wholehearted endorsement issued based on sales from the region’s leading carrier. A second wave of new Windows Phone 7 devices is expected to be unveiled by multiple cell phone makers at the Mobile World Congress show next month.

[Via Windows Phone Central]

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In a note to investors this week, Wedge Partners’ Principal and Equity Analyst Brian Blair had some strong words for iPad rivals’ retail performance over the holidays. Seemingly not one to mince words, Blair said that consumers had little or no interest in tablets other than the iPad this holiday season, calling the iPad’s competition underpowered junk. While Samsung Galaxy Tab sales have been quite strong thus far, Blair’s retail checks didn’t turn up much demand for the Tab or other Android tablets.

Even with a handful of tablet competitors hitting the market, the iPad remained the only game in town in our holiday checks largely because many of the tablets hitting the market are junk for lack of a better word. They are underpowered, poorly constructed and largely not ready for prime time.

Blair also noted that demand for Apple’s MacBook Air, iMac and MacBook Pro lines was stronger than expected this holiday season, which could lead to another huge quarter.

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