Vizio to unveil Android smartphone and tablet around CES

By Matthew Chung on 01/02/2011, filed in Home > Gadgets

[CES 2011] Vizio might be well known for flat-screen TVs, but the company looks like it’s set to make the jump into the competitive smartphone and tablet market, tapping on Google’s magic to make its devices competitive. The company actually teased such a move in an advert that it ran before the Rose Bowl game and is expected to reveal its wireless products before the CES 2011 kicks off. If the rumors are accurate, the Via phone will feature a 4-inch touchscreen display, along with front- and rear-facing cameras. The Via tablet will feature an 8-inch display, Wi-Fi and also a front-facing camera. Both devices will be powered by Google’s Android operating system and be sold through Walmart and Costco stores. Video after the jump.

CES: CES is the acronym for the (International) Consumer Electronics Show, one of the largest consumer-electronics shows in the world. Although it is held in Las Vegas today, the first CES happened in June 1967 in New York City and Bob Gavin, the CEO of Motorola was the opening keynote speaker for that first edition. Subsequently, CES was held twice a year: the summer edition was in New York, and the winter edition was in Las Vegas, that is, until 1998 when CES became a once-a-year show. CES has been the introduction place for key products and technologies, including: Pong (1975), Nintendo NES (1985), Tetris (1988), Compact Disc (1991), HDTV (1998), Xbox (2001), Blu-Ray (2003), OLED TV (2008). Check our latest CES Coverage

Join a great community!