NVIDIA Releases Android Marshmallow Update For SHIELD Tablet K1

NVIDIA  this week released over-the-air (OTA) update to Google Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system for its SHIELD Tablet K1. The new OS is expected to improve functionality of the gaming tablet as well as to prolong its battery life. The arr…

The Google Pixel C Goes On Sale

Today Google has made their Pixel C tablet available on their online store. Google announced the Pixel C at an event in September, and at the time the only thing that was known about the launch date is that it would be in time for the holidays. While Google has certainly cut it close by launching it in the second week of December, they have managed to launch the tablet in time for buyers to purchase it as a gift. Below you can view all the relevant specifications of the Pixel C.

Most of the Pixel C’s core specifications were known at the time of the launch event in September, but today’s launch comes with some additional info such as the battery capacity and amount of RAM. As we already knew, the Pixel C is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra X1 SoC, which is the first time that it’s showing up in a mobile device. While we have seen Tegra X1 in the NVIDIA SHIELD TV, it’ll be interesting to see how it performs in a more thermally and power constrained scenario.

Paired with the SoC is 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of NAND. As far as connectivity goes you get 2.4/5GHz 2×2 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, and a USB Type-C connector. Based on what we’ve seen with the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P this is likely still using the USB2 protocol, but until we review it we can’t make any definitive statements.

One of the most interesting aspects of the Pixel C is its display. It’s a 2560×1800 IPS panel, which has an aspect ratio that is approximately equal to the square root of 2, which happens to be the same ratio used for the A series paper used in most countries around the world. This should make the display well suited to displaying documents that have been digitized and viewing web pages, but not as good for video playback.

Of course, the big selling point for the Pixel C is the keyboard accessory. Like the Surface Pro 4 and the iPad Pro, the Pixel C is Google’s take on a tablet that targets users who want to be productive. While I didn’t have much time to play with the keyboard at Google’s event, the use of magnets and the ability to set the angle of incline anywhere from 100 to 130 degrees without any sort of kickstand seemed like a very novel hinge implementation, and I’m interested to see how well it works in actual use.

The Pixel C is available now on Google’s online store. Both the 32GB and 64GB models are in stock and ship within a few business days. As noted above, the price for the 32GB model is $499, while the 64GB model is $599. The keyboard accessory adds an additional $149 onto the base price. In Canada it seems that there aren’t any available online yet, and I’ll be checking to see if that status changes in the future.

NVIDIA Re-launches the SHIELD Tablet as the SHIELD Tablet K1

The life of the NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet has had some ups and downs. Josh reviewed it last year, and at the time he found that NVIDIA’s tech for game streaming offered an interesting value proposition. Unfortunately, NVIDIA was forced to issue a total recall on the tablets due to overheating concerns earlier this year, and while they shipped replacement devices to consumers, the SHIELD Tablet ended up being removed from sale. This was quite unfortunate, and it left a gap in the Android tablet market that I really haven’t seen any vendor fill.

Today NVIDIA is re-introducing the SHIELD Tablet with a new name. It’s now called the SHIELD Tablet K1, something I hope implies we will soon see a SHIELD Tablet X1.

While the name is new, we’re looking at the exact same tablet that launched last year. I’ve put the specs in the chart below as a refresher.

The NVIDIA SHIELD Tablet K1 still has NVIDIA’s Tegra K1 SoC, with four Cortex A15 cores and the incredibly fast single SMX Kepler GPU. The SoC is paired with 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 16GB of NAND, with the original 32GB model being dropped. There’s still microSD expansion for storing media, and with Android Marshmallow expandable storage will lose much of its third class status on Android which will be helpful.

Of course, the biggest change here beyond the fact that the SHIELD Tablet is being put back on sale is its new price. At $199 it’s $100 cheaper than when it first launched, and it makes it one of the only good tablets that you can actually get at that price point with the Nexus 7 having been gone for some time now. NVIDIA’s optional accessories are all available as well, and if you plan to use the gaming features of the SHIELD Tablet K1 I would definitely factor the price of the controller into your cost consideration. In any case, it’s good to see the SHIELD Tablet K1 back on sale, and at $199 I think it’s definitely worth considering if you’re looking for a tablet at that price.