Smartphones and Tablets to Get Even Faster With Nvidia’s Tegra 3 Chip

Nvidia is set to roll out the next-generation Tegra 3 chip aimed at smartphones and tablets, promising to be even faster than its current processor, which was one of the stars of CES 2011, the dual-core Tegra 2.

While Nvidia hasn’t officially announced the processor yet, the Tegra 3′s impending launch is almost certain, according to Softpedia. The new chip is expected to have four cores inside, and will probably roll out at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 14.

Without revealing any dates, Nvidia’s general manager of Tegra Mike Rayfield confirmed the Tegra 3′s launch in an interview with Hexus,

“I’m going to come pretty close to my cadence of a launch every year,” said Rayfield. “It will be in production around the same time as my competitors’ first dual-cores will.”

Given that the Tegra 2 was launched at CES last year, Tegra 3′s launch is due any time now.

Just as the Tegra 2 chip boosts the performance of tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and the first dual-core smartphone, the LG Optimus 2x, and many others we saw at CES 2011, the Tegra 3 is said to have four cores, which can further speed up browsing and gaming on tablets and smartphones. In addition, multiple cores can run at half speed to accomplish the same tasks that a single core would need to run at full speed, enhancing battery efficiency and generating less heat.

Clearly, multicore smartphones have arrived, with quad-core chips probably waiting in the wings. Ovum analyst Nick Dillon told Morningstar:

“In the same way that 1GHz was the standard for top of the range smartphones in 2010, every top-end service in 2011 is likely to have a dual-core processor. We may even see the first quad-core chipsets emerging in handsets by the end of the year.”

Sargent Shriver to be honored at funeral Mass

POTOMAC, Md. (AP) — Notable figures including Caroline Kennedy arrived Saturday for the funeral Mass honoring R. Sargent Shriver, which was being held at the Shrivers' church near the family's home outside Washington.

Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of John F. Kennedy, arrived with her children and other members of the Kennedy family as people mingled in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, Md. About 800 invited guests were expected to fill the church's sanctuary, with space for about 140 people in an overflow area.

Glen Hansard, frontman for the Irish group The Frames, sang to piano and violin music as guests entered the church.

Shriver — the man known as "Sarge" who married Eunice Kennedy Shriver and was the brother-in-law of John F. Kennedy and the late Sen. Ted Kennedy — was to be honored by several speakers. His daughter, former NBC reporter Maria Shriver, Vice President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton were among those set to speak.

Sargent Shriver died Tuesday at age 95. He helped John F. Kennedy fulfill a campaign promise by starting the Peace Corps, which Shriver built into a lasting international institution. He later led President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, part of the president's vision for his "Great Society."

At a wake held Friday, former South Dakota Sen. George McGovern called Shriver "the kindest, most cheerful, most optimistic person I knew in 50 years of public life." McGovern ran for president in 1972, with Shriver as his running mate.

"It's remarkable that those virtues could all be combined in one person. I don't ever recall seeing him down in the dumps. He must have had days like that, but nobody ever saw them if he did," McGovern said.

First lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey also were expected to attend. Others on the guest list include Muhammad Ali, Clint Eastwood and congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.

U2 frontman Bono, Wyclef Jean and Vanessa Williams were among those scheduled to sing.

Irish prime minister steps down as party leader

(CNN) -- Embattled Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen announced Saturday that he will step down as leader of the Fianna Fail political party but stay on as prime minister until the March 11 elections.

Cowen, who recently called for the elections following the resignation of six government ministers in less than 24 hours, said he will concentrate on governing the country while the party comes up with a new leadership candidate.

"The focus should be on what policies the political parties are offering rather than the narrow focus of personality politics," he said at a news conference in Dublin.

Cowen cited internal criticism of his leadership as a factor in stepping down as ruling party leader.

"My attention now is to concentrate fully on government business and continue to implement the recovery plan," he said.

"We must cast off the shroud of negativity."

Report: Mexican singer accused of raping teen to testify

Pop singer Kalimba is detained on Friday after arriving
at the airport in Chetumal.

Mexico City (CNN) -- A Mexican singer who is accused of raping a teen is scheduled to testify Saturday, state media reported.

Pop star Kalimba will testify in a private hearing before a judge in the state of Quintana Roo, the state-run Notimex news agency reported.

Prosecutors allege he raped a 17-year-old girl in a hotel there in December.

His attorney, Rodrigo Cejudo, told Notimex that the singer is calm and confident because he is innocent.

On Thursday, the singer, whose full name is Kalimba Marichal Ibar, was deported from the United States to Mexico after an immigration violation in El Paso, Texas, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Ramiro Cordero said.

The 28-year-old singer is a former member of the group OV7, and also was the voice of Simba in a Spanish version of Disney's "The Lion King."

He is in custody in a prison in Chetumal, Mexico, Notimex said.

Keith Olbermann signs off from MSNBC

(CNN) -- After eight years together, MSNBC and Keith Olbermann are parting ways.

A statement from NBC Universal revealed the move late Friday.

"MSNBC and Keith Olbermann have ended their contract," it read. "The last broadcast of 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' will be this evening. MSNBC thanks Keith for his integral role in MSNBC's success and we wish him well in his future endeavors."

At the end of his show Friday night, Olbermann announced his departure in typical deadpan style, evoking scenes from the film "Network" and thanking viewers for keeping him on the air for eight years.

"In the mundane world of television goodbyes, reality is laughably uncooperative," Olbermann said before launching into a story about his exit from ESPN 13 years ago.

"As God as my witness, in the commercial break just before the emotional moment, the producer got into my earpiece and he said, 'um, can you cut it down to 15 seconds so we get in this tennis result from Stuttgart,'" he said, half-smiling, pausing for composure.

"So I'm grateful I have a little more time to sign off here. Regardless, this is the last edition of Countdown."

Pakistani mother enrolls in first grade

Daudkhel, Pakistan (CNN) -- Rukhsana Batool doesn't quite look like her fellow first graders at an elementary school in this village in northwest Pakistan.

Batool towers over the rest of the children, she is covered in a white burqa - the full length Islamic veil- and she is a 25-year-old married mother of three.

"I love it here," she said from behind the patch of burqa netting that covered her face. "I used to bring my children to school and I saw them studying. I thought I really want to study and learn too."

Last month a teacher at the school encouraged her to enroll. Batool's parents had never allowed her to go to school. It's something she always dreamed of doing, so she agreed to sign up.

Now, when the school bell rings, she walks into class and sits next to her two favorite classmates - her two sons, age 4 and 5.

"She was interested in studying and I welcomed that," said her teacher Murred Fizza. "I told her I would teach her even if it meant working during my break time."

Batool gave credit to her husband who encouraged her to go to school in a country where women's education has long suffered because of social and cultural limitations, and the spread of extremism.

Hard-line religious groups here say women's education is un-Islamic and frequently warn families not to send their girls to school once they reach puberty.

The Taliban have bombed and set fire to hundreds of schools, most of them for girls, just a few hours from where Batool lives.

The Pakistani government is nowhere near rebuilding them.

Even in some of Pakistan's more moderate rural areas parents often refuse to send their daughters to school with boys. Millions of teenage girls end up working at home or getting married.

Recent studies show only four out of 10 Pakistani women can read and write -- a literacy rate that ranks among the worst in the world.

"One of the main solutions to all the issues we have in this country is the education of women," said Fizza, Batool's teacher. "I think if one woman is educated, her entire family will be educated."

Batool hopes her enrollment in first grade inspires other Pakistani women to go to school and for Pakistan's government to invest more in women's education.

Halle Berry's ex engaged to Prince's ex

Singer Eric Benet is engaged to be married to Prince's ex-wife, Manuela Testolini.

Benet's rep confirmed the happy news to Us Magazine. "They are engaged and very happy," the rep said.

Benet was married to Halle Berry for three years until their marriage ended in 2003 amid accusations that he was unfaithful. Testolini, who made news in 2008 after surviving the terrorist attack in Mumbai, was married to Prince from 2001 to 2006.

The pair live together in Los Angeles.

Saudi king arrives for treatment in Morocco

(CNN) -- King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia arrived in Casablanca, Morocco, on Saturday to continue his recovery from back surgery late last year, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The king, who was met by Moroccan King Mohammed VI, will undergo physical therapy in the north African country following treatment in the United States for a herniated disc and a blood clot that was causing him back pain, according to Saudi state media.

He underwent his first surgery November 24 at New York's Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. A follow-up surgery to stabilize several vertebrae in his spine was performed December 3.

Abdullah, 86, had been recuperating at his New York home since late December.