Exactly 17 years ago, the first Nvidia-powered Windows laptop made its debut at Computex before RTX Spark laptops, Mobinnova was a flop that barely
anyone remembered

Date:
Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:06:33 +0000

Description:
For Jensen Huang, Nvidias charismatic CEO, it was probably a deja-v when he walked on the stage at Computex 2026 for the keynote

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Nvidia is having another go at the personal computer market with the launch of the RTX Spark SoC which will power a raft of new desktop PCs and laptops later this year just in time for back to school.

Yet few will probably remember that this is Nvidia's second attempt to penetrate a market hitherto dominated by AMD and Intel . Exactly 17 years
ago, on June 2 2009, Nvidia, then a mere $6 billion tech behemoth, partnered with a company no-one had heard of to launch a Windows laptop. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: You may like Nvidia Computex 2026 keynote as it happened: RTX Spark announced to take on Apple, Intel, and Qualcomm Watch
out, Apple Nvidia just unveiled its RTX Spark Arm 'superchip' to take on the M5 at Computex 2026 'Welcome to the family' Qualcomm is glad Nvidia is joining the Arm race Meet the Elan The Mobinnova lan was a netbook (remember them?) which was unlike anything else on the market.

It ran an Nvidia Tegra chip on Windows CE because of its Arm origins and offered build in 3G connectivity thanks to an embedded modem.

Its small battery could power the device for up to 10 hours and it was
totally silent because it was passively cooled.

Looking back at its inch-wide bezels, the tiny touchpad and the equally small washed out LCD display, we can cringe at how bad it was back then for something that would have cost around $300. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

On the other hand though, there was not much you could do given that was essentially a locked down version of full-fat Windows.

Sure you could view Microsoft Office and Adobe documents, but playing games
or installing other apps? No way.

This was pre-Microsoft Store and while it did have an "innovative 3D
graphical user interface", it was a device that was unfortunately way too ahead of its time. What to read next Nvidia GTC 2026: 'It all starts here' - relive the Jensen Huang keynote as it happened Nvidia claims RTX Spark
laptops will offer all-day battery life Ten years ago Acer debuted its awesomely ridiculous $10K gaming laptop how well does it hold up in 2026? Toshiba AC100 review - YouTube Watch On The forerunner of Chromebooks The following year, Nvidia partnered with Toshiba to bring us the first Android laptop, well before Chromebooks were even a thing. 2010 saw the launch of the AC100 , presented as a mobile internet device and ran on a Tegra 250 and wait for it, Android 2.1.

Like the Mobinnova lan, it had a 3G modem and embraced the netbook concept - with a diminutive touchpad and screen - and like its rival, it had the same issues: quasi non-existent support for Android apps, poor compatibility with the UI etc.

After a very lukewarm welcome on the netbook front, further iterations of the Tegra (v2 and v3) found their way initially in smartphones and tablets.

Subsequently, Nvidia abandoned the former as competition from Qualcomm and Mediatek forced the company to retreat almost completely from mainstream products (with the exception of the Shield and Nintendo Switch).

17 years later, Nvidia is almost 1,000x bigger than in 2009 and can afford to take technological bets like these. But will it be worth it given how fragmented and diverse the current x86 market is? Only time will tell.
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