Vizio, a company best known for its HDTVs, is embracing Android in a big way. Last week, the company showed off an Android-based tablet and smartphone at CES 2011, as well as an Android and Google TV-powered HDTV.
We had a chance to get a look at some early versions of the tablet and smartphone and to see the companys connected TV approach in person.
First, lets talk about the TV. Slated for release this summer, Vizios XVT Pro series TV is crammed full of features. Not only ! is this 3D capable HDTV LED backlit, it sports a 480Hz refresh rate, five HDMI ports, has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and uses the new VIA Plus platform.
As for the tablet and smartphone, both devices run Android 2.2 but Vizio told us that they expect to keep the devices as up-to-date as possible. No word on pricing, availability or carrier (in the case of the smartphone), but the Vizio reps told us to expect both offerings to be very competitive.
The interface is extremely customized, but we have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, the interface is clean and usable; its a solid and different alternative to the other Android UI skins and it matches the interface of the Android-powered XVT Pro perfectly. On the other hand, the downside of these custom interfaces is that third-party apps dont always play as nicely as they should with these skins. Moreover, its unclear how much work will need to be done to bring Honeycomb over to the tablet.
Vizio was mum on specific internals on the two devices, but they told us that both devices feature a 1Ghz processor and lots of graphical power. Both units also include an IR port so that they can act as a universal remote control of sorts.
A real standout feature is that the HDMI port on the table and the smartphone is HDCP compliant. That means protected content from Hulu Plus, Netflix or any other DRMed service can be played back onto an HDTV without issue.
The units we were using were still in development the software wasnt finished on the tablet and the smartphone didnt have its oleophobic coating. Still, for a first effort, we were impressed.
Unsurprisingly, we think the real star of the show was the TV its interface and layout was clean and smooth and worked better than other Google TV implementations weve seen. Itll be interesting to see if Vizio can parlay its success in TVs into that tablet/smartphon! e space.
Check out our hands-on videos of the Vizio tablet, smartphone and connected TV.
VIZIO XVT Pro HDTV Demo at CES, 2011
Mashable reporter Christina Warren speaks with VIZIO's Peter Schwartz about the company's brand new and giant XVT Pro HD television.
VIZIO VIA Tablet and Mobile Phone Demo at CES, 2011
Mashable reporter Christina Warren walks through VIZIO's new VIA tablet and mobile phone at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, during the Consumer Electronics Show, 2011.
More About: android, CES 2011, smartphones, tablets, vizio, xvt pro
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