14 DAY TRIAL // Without a doubt, one of the most interesting new products presented by Panasonic at CES 2011 is their new VIERA Tablet, a device designed to extend the range of online services available via the new VIERA Connect platform in a more portable fashion.
So, practically, what we're talking about here is in fact a smart terminal, that will offer users fast and easy access to Panasonic's future cloud-based services.
According to Panasonic, the VIERA Tabet won't be a standalone product, but rather a new family of devices, with display sizes ranging from four to ten inches, that will be specifically tailored in order to suite both the user's needs and the specific services they're designed to access.
However, Panasonic does promise us that these things will offer a “slim and lightweight design, long hours of operation and shock resistant construction”.
According to the Japanese company, the Tablet will allow users to enjoy IPTV services such as VIERA Connect online video-on-demand and interactive services, but can also easily double as an universal remote control for one's entertainment devices (Panasonic HDTV, Blu-ray player, etc.).
Moreover, it will allow users to easily stay online while they're watching TV, and engage in all sorts of interactions related to the content being displayed on the TV screen (accessing web-pages, view sports scenes from different angles as a sub-screen, get additional information regarding TV shows, etc.).
To be perfectly honest, the whole Panasonic VIERA Tablet concept is, in fact, quite an exciting one, since it manages to pretty much close the multimedia content consumption and delivery “circle”, enabling the Japanese company to create a complete and comprehensive eco-system for one's home entertainment center.
Unfortunately, although Panasonic does promise us that their Tablet family will arrive on the market over the course of 2011, little else is known on this topic (including technical data, pricing and/or availability).