CES: Viewsonic extends ViewPad line with 4in and 10in models

Viewsonic joined the massed ranks of vendors unveiling new tablet devices at CES this week, fleshing out its existing tablet range with an additional 10in model plus an all-new device with a 4.1in screen.

The two new models are the ViewPad 10s and the ViewPad 4, which join Viewsonic's current ViewPad 10 and ViewPad 7, reviewed by V3.co.uk last year. UK availability and pricing for the two will be confirmed later in Q1 2011, the company said.

With its 10.1in 1024 x 600 touch screen, the ViewPad 10s looks very similar to last year's ViewPad 10 but is purely Android-based, while the older model features a dual-boot configuration allowing users to run Windows 7.

The ViewPad 10s also features Android 2.2 and runs on a beefy dual-core Nvidia Tegra 250 1GHz processor, and so looks a better bet for anyone who does not require the dual-boot functionality.

Meanwhile, the ViewPad 4 has both phone and tablet functionality, although with a 4.1in 800 x 480 screen, it is no different from many of the latest Android-based smartphones.

This model is based on a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8255 processor with 512MB memory and also runs Android 2.2.

Both of the new devices feature 3G, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and also have GPS for location-based services. Both also feature HDMI video output, at 1080p on the ViewPad 10s and 720p on the ViewPad.

"Using 1GHz Qualcomm and Nvidia chipsets means that the initially Android 2.2 devices will be Flash 10.1 compatible and via HDMI output provide HD output for you and others to enjoy on any compatible TV, monitor or projector," said ViewSonic Europe's product marketing manager, Derek Wright.