Vizio Announces Tablet And Smart Phone To Complement Connected TVs

Today Vizio announced the suite of Internet apps available on their HDTVs will extend to a tablet and smart phone, both of which will be released this summer. The devices will be running Android under the hood, but they’ll be customized with Vizio’s Via+ operating system, which will allow you to do nifty things like continue watching a movie you started on your home TV on the tablet.

Details are a little scant on the new tablet and smart phone, but here’s what we do know: the tablet will sport an 8-inch screen and the smart phone’s screen will be in the neighborhood of 4 inches. No carriers have been named yet, but Vizio expects to have one in place in the next couple of months. Likewise, there’s no word on which version of Android will be powering the pair.

The Via+ OS will have its own set of specific apps, in much the same way that the Barnes & Noble Nook Color has its own curated app collection. However, Vizio is eager to point out that these apps are not proprietary. Their goal is to create an open system that will work with your current home entertainment pieces, say a Sony Blu-ray player and a Samsung TV, along with Vizio’s offerings. Via+ builds on the company’s current Via platform which includes Internet-connected TVs, a connected remote with a full QWERTY keyboard, and apps for Netflix, Vudu, Amazon Video, Rhapsody, Facebook, and Twitter.

We will be checking out Vizio’s tablet and phone at CES, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out all the juicy pictures below.