fonz impelled: Vizio shows off a 10-inch Tegra 4 tablet and a lower-end 7-inch slate

Monday, January 7, 2013

Vizio shows off a 10-inch Tegra 4 tablet and a lower-end 7-inch slate

Earlier today we showed you the Vizio Tablet PC, the outfit's first Windows 8 slate. Now we're back for part deux, starring Tegra and a healthy dose of Jelly Bean. While touring the company's suite, we found two prototypes: a 10-inch tablet with NVIDIA's new Tegra 4 chip and a mid-range 7-inch model designed to take on the lower end of the market. Starting with the 10-inch model, key specs (aside from Tegra 4) include a 2,560 x 1,600 display, 32GB of on-board memory, NFC and dual 5MP / 1.3MP cameras. The 7-incher, meanwhile, has 16 gigs of storage, and steps down to Tegra 3 and a 1,280 x 800 resolution. No NFC on that one. Both run Jelly Bean, though -- stock Jelly Bean, at that.

Design-wise, both have a rubbery, soft-touch finish, similar to what you'll find on the Windows 8 tablet we saw earlier. As ever, it makes for a sturdier grip, though unlike on the Tablet PC there's no beveling on the sides where you can rest your thumbs. Both models have narrow speaker grilles on the back, except the 10-inch model has two, while the 7-incher has one. As with the Tablet PC, the display isn't IPS, per se, but it does have some unspecified wide-angle viewing technology. Indeed, we were able to follow along with a movie from off to the side and with the tablets lying face-up, but we did notice the colors seemed a little pale. Washed out.

As for Tegra 4, we wish we could tell you more but alas, NVIDIA is still being awfully protective over its technology demos. So, while the folks staffing Vizio's booth let us watch a movie clip, we weren't permitted to select other media files or play any games. All in due time, we suppose. Suffice to say, the 1080p movie we watched ran smoothly, but that wasn't ever really a problem on Tegra 3, was it? In any case, we'll surely be showing you lots more of Tegra 4. As for this particular tablet? We're not sure. Vizio hasn't confirmed whether either of these tablets will come to market, though it says there's a good chance, particularly for the higher-end 10-inch model. Whatever happens, we've got hands-on photos below, along with a video walkthrough of both devices.

Gallery: Vizio shows off 10- and 7-inch Android tablets at CES 2013