ViewSonic to dip into US smartphones with ViewPhone 3
updated 07:10 pm EST, Sat January 7, 2012
ViewPhone 3 to get US intro at CES
ViewSonic has stated that it will launch its first US smartphone. The ViewPhone 3, Forbes was told, occupies the budget end of the smartphone space with a 3.5-inch screen, an 800MHz Snapdragon processor, 3G, a five-megapixel camera, and a light 512MB of RAM. Android 2.3 ships with a customized interface.
The company, better known for its computer displays than is mobile devices, is well aware that the ViewPhone 3 isn't competition at the high end and is planning to offer the phone more as a budget alternative. ViewSonic is primarily intending to sell the phone in Latin American countries, but it will have the phone on its own site in March for about $250 unlocked and working with both AT&T and T-Mobile, letting customers either switch US carriers or get much cheaper prepaid cell service when they travel.
ViewSonic has a mobile footprint in the US that's currently limited to its ViewPad tablets. Most of its phones sell in Asia and other parts of the world where cost is more of a concern.
