HDTV manufacturer Vizio used the pre-CES buzz week to unveil a new Internet app “ecosystem” called VIA Plus that will unify the Internet app experience across HDTVs, Tablets, Smartphones and Blu-ray Disc players. Yep, in case you didn’t get the memo, Vizio isn’t just in HDTVs anymore. The company has ventured into tablets and smartphones as well.
VIA Plus is the next iteration of Vizio’s current VIA interface, giving it a new look but also extending its functionality to new devices. Using the VIA Plus interface, consumers will be able to begin downloading or viewing content on one device and seamlessly transition that same content to another device without interruption.
VIA Plus-enabled HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players will incorporate Google TV and feature a premium Bluetooth QWERTY universal remote with touchpad, dual-band 802.11n built-in WiFi and enhanced on-screen navigation. The HDTVs and Blu-ray players will also get an integrated Internet search and Web browser via the VIA Plus interface.
The VIA Plus smartphone and tablet, meanwhile, will be Android-based and feature built-in IR blaster with universal remote control app, HD playback with HDMI output, and access to hundreds of thousands of apps in Android Market.
Information about which Android OS VIA Plus uses was not immediately available.
