Well that didn’t take long: Mere days after a Vizio executive cheekily pawed at a mystery tablet device during the Rose Bowl, the company has confirmed the existence of a Via line of devices featuring a mobile phone and a tablet.
The big reveal appeared in the Wall Street Journal this evening, coming complete with a few additional specifics beyond the name:
The Irvine, Calif., company said its first mobile phone, to be called Via Phone, will have a 4-inch screen, a front-facing camera for video calls, a rear-facing five megapixel camera and the capability to shoot video. The larger mobile device, the Via Tablet, will have an 8-inch, high-resolution screen; WiFi wireless connectivity; three speakers; and a front-facing camera for video conferencing. Both items will be introduced this summer and run Google Inc.’s Android operating system, providing access to the application store associated with the popular operating system, Vizio said.
Vizio has had an undeniable impact on the HDTV space with its line of respectable low-cost televisions. Will the same be said of its foray into the incredibly competitive mobile phone market? And what of the still forming tablet market?
In related Vizio news, the company is purportedly planning a $US300 SD HDTV for CES as well. Sounds like they’ll be busy. [WSJ]