LAS VEGAS: The Transformer Prime is set to drop in the UK on 12 January and will be packing Nvidia's quad-core 1.3GHz Tegra 3 processor.

The sequel to the critically acclaimed Asus Eee Pad Transformer, the Prime has all the making of being another excellent hybrid tablet.

Asus has stuck with the 10.1in screen size, but has upgraded the display to so it is now has Super IPS+ technology. The display is crisp and colours are vibrant even in low light settings. The device has an outdoor setting that aims to make it easier to view content outdoors, and we look forward to testing this.

In terms of design, the Prime is stunning. The 8.3mm chassis is wafer thin and the tablet feels much lighter than the 586g. Asus seems to have hit the jackpot with weight distribution as we found it very easy to hold the device in one hand.

Nvidia has been bigging up its quad-core Tegra 3 processor, so expectations about the performance of the device were high. The chip designer wasn't over-egging its claims as the Prime is one of the fastest and smoothest devices we have handled.

Transition between applications is instantaneously and the device is able to playback HD video effortlessly. The Tegra 3 processor is also going to improve battery life, with the firm claiming 12 hours for the tablet, and 18 hours when it is docked.

Asus has included most of the major ports that you would expect in laptop. The tablet chassis includes HDMI output and a micro SD card slot. The dock features a USB 2.0 port and SD card reader.

The only real disappointing feature was the dock - as we found that the trackpad to be a big flimsy and the letters on the keyboard didn't have as much flex as we would like. On the plus side we do love the way the tablet clips into the dock and it can be carried as a netbook.

With Asus confirming that the 7in Nvidia Tegra 3 tablet will not be made available in the UK, the 10in hybrid could prove to be a popular alternative. The Prime is set to launch in the UK on the 12 January priced at around £400. V3 will post a video demo and full review soon.

Nvidia has released a new graphics demo that the firm believes showcases the capabilities of its upcoming quad-core Tegra chip codenamed Kal-el.

The quad-core chip was first demonstrated at Mobile World Congress (MWC) back in February as a showcase for Nvidia's next-generation technology. At that time Nvidia did not allow journalists to play with the tablet that housed the Kal-el chip, but the firm was looping a game demo to show off its impressive power.

Now Nvidia has shown off a new demo named Glowball running on Android Honeycomb that it says highlights the dynamic lighting capabilities of Kal-el. While the demo may lack the cut and thrust action of a game scene, dynamic lighting is a significant draw on chip resources. Something that was apparent when Nvidia showed how the demo would falter if running on a dual-core Tegra chip.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Nvidia's Glowball demonstration is that the four Kal-el cores were not maxed out at any point in the demo. It bodes well for games developers who are looking at tablets based on Apple's IOS and Google's Android operating system as the next big gaming consoles.

Back at MWC, Matt Wuebbling, senior product manager for Nvidia's notebook products, told V3.co.uk that "tablets are an interesting avenue for high-end technology". At the time, Wuebbling said that Kal-el was still a "technology preview" but added that developer devices were expected by August 2011.

Wuebbling said Nvidia's Kal-el chip will feature 12 GPU cores, adding that it is likely the firm will use TSMC to fabricate Kal-el chips, but that no final decision had been made.

The Glowball demo showcases just how far gaming has come on portable devices. Nvidia, by using its considerable history in producing gaming oriented graphics chips, has shown that consumers can expect tablets to become fully fledged portable gaming consoles when kitted out with multi-core chips.

What's more, Wuebbling told V3.co.uk that Kal-el can support numerous operating systems aside from Google's Android, including Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.

Nvidia's Kal-el chip should give Nintendo and Sony cause for concern as it tries to fight against casual gamers who prefer smartphones and tablets to dedicated games consoles.