Vizio Readies 8-Inch Tablet

By Joseph Palenchar -- TWICE, 6/22/2011

New York - Vizio announced summertime availability of its first tablet, a Wi-Fi model equipped with 8-inch touchscreen and IR blaster to double as a universal remote.

The VTAB1008 tablet from Vizio

The company did not mention which version of the Android OS is used, nor did it disclose a price, but it did say the VTAB1008 would use an interface that the company will adopt across multiple home entertainment products, including TVs and Blu-ray players, that will access the web and download apps from the Android Market.

Vizio outlined its plans here at the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Line Show, though it also showed the product and its first smartphone, also Android-based, at January's International CES.

The tablet, due in retail stores nationwide in the summer, features 1GHz processor, 8-inch 1,024 by 768 capacitive touchscreen, built-in GPS, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity and extended battery lasting up to 10 hours depending on usage, the company said. Other features include 2GB of onboard storage, MicroSD card slot supporting an additional 32GB, HD video playback, micro HDMI output and front-facing camera video chats. Three embedded speakers deliver stereo playback in portrait and landscape mode.

A built-in universal remote control app features codes for 95 percent of remote-controllable devices on the U.S. market, the company said.

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