Yesterday was a little bit dominated by Everything Everywhere and their 4G announcement, but there was something else interesting announced yesterday and that was the VSD220.
Viewsonic announced it back at MWC earlier on in the year. It is basically a mains powered 22″ 1080p tablet with a whole host of specs and features that would be an ideal PC replacement for the home.
Here are some of the released images of it:
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Lets have have a look at the spec:
- LCD PANEL Display Area 54.6cm (21.5”) diagonal, active 476mm (H) x 268mm (V)
- Native Resolution 1920 x 1080
- Brightness 250 cd / m² (typ.)
- Contrast Ratio 1,000:1 (typ.)
- Viewing Angles 170° horizontal / 160° vertical
- Response Time 5ms
- Panel Surface 3H surface hardness
- Backlight White-light LED
- Backlight Life 30,000 hours (min.)
- CPU Specification T I OMAP 4430, dual-core ARM®
- Cortex-A9, 1GHz
- OPERATING SYSTEM Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
- MEMORY RAM LPDDR2 1GB
- FLASH eMMC 8GB
- NETWORK Wireless WiFi 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth V2.1
- Wired Ethernet 10/100
- PORT USB x 3 (A-Type *2 +Micro USB *1 (OTG)
- HDMI x 1 (Micro type)
- SD CARD SLOT x 1 (Micro SD Card)
- RJ45 x 1
- Headphone x 1
- DC Jack x 1
- AUDIO/VIDEO Camera 1.3M – HD720p
- Speaker 1W x 2, SRS Premium Sound enhancement
- Microphone Internal digital MIC x 1
- POWER SUPPLY UNIT Voltage AC 100 – 240V (universal); 50 / 60 Hz
- Consumption 40W (maximum)
- OPERATING Temperature 32° F to 104° F (0° C to 40° C)
- CONDITIONS Humidity 20% to 90% (no condensation)
- DIMENSION w/stand (W x H x D) 512.8 x 353 x 21.9mm (20.19” x 13.9” x 0.86”)
- WEIGHT w/stand 4.8 Kg (10.57 lbs)
- WHAT’S IN THE BOX? Power Cable / AC Adapter x 1, Micro USB to USB A type Connection Cable x 1, Micro HDMI to HDMI Connection Cable x 1, Quick Start Guide x 1, ViewSonic Wizard, CD-ROM x 1
Things that stand out here are the 3 USB ports, the RJ45 port for ethernet connection, the viewing angles, speakers, camera, micro SD card slot, hdmi out, the fact you can plug in dvd players or games consoles and use it as a normal monitor and the internal memory. It all sounds like it could be a really useful device to have around the house. As it is Google certified as well, installing games or apps will be really easy.
You could have this as a social media hub for the household, a multi media hub, family internet terminal, games station, Skype terminal, kitchen recipe system, TV Catchup system. The list is really endless as to what you could use this for.
Personally I think this is a really good idea from Viewsonic and I hope we get to have some hands on with it at some point. I think if it has VESA mounts on the back it would make an ideal wall mounted device to have in the kitchen.
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Here is the press release for the VSD220:
UK, London, 11th September 2012– ViewSonic Corp., a global provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, continues its innovative leadership by launching today its touch screen Android AIO Smart Display, the VSD220.
The VSD220 22” (21.5” Vis.) Smart Display, aimed at changing the way people think about computing, pairs a 1920×1080 full-HD resolution monitor with the dual-core, ARM®-based OMAP™ 4 processor from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) and an Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich” operating system, resulting in a whole new way to experience the web and Android Apps.
“The VSD220 Smart Display is engineered for today’s cloud connected world,” said Mark Lufkin, Managing Director of ViewSonic Europe. “ViewSonic is embracing the post-PC transition with what will be a full range of connected display solutions. For consumers, the VSD220 is perfect for surfing the web, engaging on social networks and enjoying a world of Android apps. For commercial opportunities, the VSD220 serves as a flexible solution that can address the needs of Android compatible vertical market applications such as signage, hospitality, point of information, and kiosk. Whatever the need, our new Smart Displays are the future of connected computing.”
“We are proud to see the leading capabilities of our OMAP 4 processor come to life on ViewSonic’s new VSD220 Smart Display,” said Ketan Malani, business development manager, OMAP platform business unit, TI. “At home, at work and at play, consumers across all levels of the computing market demand full-HD capabilities, rich user interfaces, robust interactivity and other compelling features. With our OMAP 4 processor at its core, the Smart Display delivers all this and more, in a way that revolutionises how and where people experience the Web.”
The VSD220 provides users a PC-less web connection in an affordable format that is both self-contained and easy to use. With a dual point optical touch screen, an integrated Android operating system and full Google GMS certification, users can enjoy a tablet-like browsing experience, a 22” touch-enabled Full HD display and a very capable computer all wrapped up into one device.
Powered by TI’s smart multicore OMAP 4 processor, the VSD220 delivers the snappy responsiveness and efficiency ideal for ensuring fast web browsing; smooth, glitch-free video viewing; graphic-rich gaming and app multitasking. For those wishing to use the VSD220 as a traditional PC, the Smart Display is compatible with a wide variety of keyboards and mice, including both USB and wireless models enabling the user to further personalise their experience to fit their individual needs.
For further functionality, the VSD220 offers versatile connectivity options including a Micro HDMI for plugging in a notebook or tablet for an expanded screen space and supporting Touch enabled operating systems. The VSD220 also has three USB ports, a Micro SD card and plenty of network connection options including RJ45 Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® technology. Paired with a built-in 1.3MP webcam with integrated microphone for videoconferencing and photo taking, and integrated SRS Premium Sound speakers, the VSD220 is the complete multimedia package.
ViewSonic’s VSD220 Smart Display will be available in Europe mid-to-late October for an ESP of only £359 (inc. VAT).
How is Gears going to test that in his car?!
haha. Yes good question, I guess he will have to run an extension lead from the house into his car.
I quite like the idea of this, however there’s a bit of information missing for me. I really don’t like large touchscreen devices, so I’m wondering how else one might interact with this?
Android doesn’t do too well with a mouse, so I should imagine controlling it will be a fairly awkward experience, that will in no way be a replacement for a PC. Even most Android games would need an external controller to make them worthwhile on this device. I get the feeling that certain practicalities could prevent this device from really taking off.
Indeed. Controlling the thing could be difficult. Also some apps are going to be awful stretched over the whole screen.
Hopefully they will come up with a way of splitting the screen, like Samsung have done with the Note 10.1