Vizio refreshes PC, notebook lines, demos tablets, phones
updated 06:14 am EST, Tue January 8, 2013
Entire Vizio PC line gains 10-point multitouch screens
Vizio has shown off its updated line of computers at CES, including a number of tablets and a pair of Android phones destined for China. All of the new PCs, pre-installed with Windows 8, are equipped with a ten-point capacitive touchscreen on every model, while a 10-inch tablet from the company includes Nvidia's Tegra 4 chipset.
Both the company's refreshed Thin+Light notebook and All-In-One PC ranges will have quad-core processors, as well as the touchscreens, with some processors being provided by AMD instead of Intel. Retaining the same design aesthetic as its predecessors, the 14-inch and 15.6-inch Thin+Light Touch will have options for either an AMD A10 processor or an Intel third-generation Core i7 processor. Battery life has been improved from last year's models, while the displays will be Full HD for the 15.6-inch model, and HD+ for the 14-inch.
For the All-In-One Touch PCs, the 24-inch and 27-inch models will have full HD 1080p resolution displays. Using the same processor options as the Thin+Light notebooks, the AIO machines also have enhanced 2.1 channel audio with a subwoofer, dual HDMI inputs, a remote control, a wireless keyboard, and a multi-gesture touchpad.
Two of the tablets on show have stock Jelly Bean installed, one being a Tegra 4-powered 10-inch version with a 2560x1600 resolution display, 32GB of storage, NFC and a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera; the other measuring 7-inches, powered by Tegra 3, and having a 1280x800 resolution.
Another tablet is in fact a tablet PC running the full Windows 8 install instead of RT. The 11.6-inch device has a Full HD 1080p capacitive touchscreen that supports 10-point multi-touch gestures, and is powered by a 1GHz AMD Z-60 APU processor with Radeon HD graphics and 2GB of RAM. Storage is served by a 64GB SSD, a 2-megapixel camera is on the front, and the tablet also has micro-HDMI and micro-USB ports.
The phones at the event were both unlocked and running stock Android Jelly Bean, according to Engadget. The larger 5-megapixel model has a 1920x1080 LCD, 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera, and is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm SoC with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. A slightly smaller 4.7-inch model uses a 720x1080 resolution display, the same rear camera as the larger model, and is powered by a dual-core processor from MediaTek with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. While reportedly having support for AT&T's radio spectrum including HSPA+42 support, it will not likely make its way to the US after they are released in China later this year.
Vizio's PC and Notebook lines are to go on sale in mid-February, while the possible release window for the tablets is curently unknown. Pricing was also not revealed at CES.
