Vizio, the leading television manufacturer in the United States, recently announced plans to offer an Android-based tablet and smartphone. The company will officially launch the new products at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The company announced the tablet will feature an 8-inch screen, a front-facing camera and high-definition video capability. The smartphone will contain a 1-gigahertz processor, 4-inch screen, Wi-Fi, a 5-megapixel camera and a front-facing camera for video chats.
Vizio did not disclose pricing or which mobile carrier will support its new devices. Whether the devices will support 3G or 4G mobile networks also was not released.
The company’s plan is to integrate the new devices with its popular line of high-definition televisions. Vizio will also preview 21 3D HD television at CES, some of which will have support for Google TV included.
The mobile devices extend the Via web application that Vizio has added to its higher-end TVs and Blu-ray players.
The television, tablet and smartphone will combine to create “the first true integrated ecosystem across multiple classes of devices,” Matthew McRae, Vizio’s chief technology officer, said.
The idea is to give the consumer the ability to begin watching a movie or television program on a television and finish it on either the smartphone or tablet and vice versa. Both the smartphone and the tablet can also be used to control televisions and other electronic devices through the use of infrared sensors, Vizio said.
By all accounts, it appears Vizio will continue to focus on the low-end market with its new devices, steering clear of directly competing with Apple’s iPhone and iPad. At least that’s how the company made its mark with its televisions.
“What Vizio is going to do is go after those people who wouldn’t have bought a tablet for another two or three years. That to me is exciting, because it is going to force everybody to up their game,” Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey told the New York Times.
Numerous companies are expected to unveil new mobile devices, namely tablets, at the CES. Many of the new products may run version 2.4 of Google’s Android mobile operating system. Internally codenamed Honeycomb, 2.4 was developed specifically for tablet use. Research In Motion is also expected to preview its PlayBook tablet at the tradeshow extensively.
Tags: blu ray players, chief technology officer, consumer electronics show, consumer electronics show in las vegas, google, hd television, high definition televisions, infrared sensors, ipad, iphone, matthew mcrae, megapixel camera, television leader, video capability, video chats