According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, TV manufacturer Vizio plans to announce its intentions to break into the Android smartphone and tablet market sometime today. “The Irvine, Calif., company said its first mobile phone, to be called Via Phone, will have a 4-inch screen, a front-facing camera for video calls, a rear-facing five megapixel camera and the capability to shoot video,” writes the Journal.
The article goes on to note the Vizio will also introduce an 8-inch Android tablet with a “high-resolution screen, WiFi wireless connectivity; three speakers; and a front-facing camera for video conferencing.” Vizio is expected to release both its tablet and smartphone offerings in the summer of 2011.
The devices also will provide access to Vizio’s Via Plus Internet service, which lets users access apps such as Netflix Inc.’s movie downloading service, the Android Market and the Facebook and Twitter social-networking sites.