Jan 10, 2011 17:01 GMT  ·  By

Last week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, ViewSonic Corp. brought to the spotlight a new Android-based device, the ViewPad 4, which is both a tablet PC and a mobile phone.

With the launch of this product, ViewSonic will be offering ViewPad solutions with displays ranging from 4 to 10 inches, so that users can easily chose the device that best fits their needs.

“ViewSonic's heritage in display technology serves as a natural extension of our product expertise,” said Jeff Volpe, vice president and general manager for ViewSonic Americas.

“We have been at the forefront of visual display technology for nearly 25 years, 10 of which have been spent in the tablet space.

“We are proud to extend our tablet legacy by expanding our ViewPad offerings to incorporate new solutions like the ViewPad 4 that put ViewSonic anywhere consumers share, play and connect.”

The new ViewPad 4 is an Android-based 4.1-inch WVGA touch capacitive device that includes both phone and tablet capabilities, and which is built around the Qualcomm MSM 8255, 1GHz platform.

The specifications list of the new handset includes HD 720p video recording capabilities for the 5-megapixel photo snapper with auto focus packed on the back, along with HDMI 720p display output.

At the same time, the new mobile phone comes with GPS / A-GPS functionality, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, WIF 802.11 b/g/n, and more.

According to the company, the new Android-based ViewSonic ViewPad 4 is expected to arrive on the market in the middle of 2011. No info on its price tag emerged for the time being.

The handset was accompanied at the CES 2011 event in Las Vegas by the company's larger ViewPad devices, including the ViewPad 7 and the ViewPad 10, which pack 7-inch and 10.1-inch displays, respectively.

All of these devices offer support for the wide range of applications available for download via the Android Market, as well as for Google Mobile services.