January 8th, 2009
Even ViewSonic is jumping into netbook game
Is there anyone NOT making netbooks these days?
ViewSonic, best known for making monitors, digital picture frames and projectors, has hopped into the netbook game, launching the VieBook. It also unveiled an all-in-one PC called the VPC 100 ViePC and an attachable PC dubbed the LinkPC. The VieBook and ViePC are available in February with the LinkPC available in March. ViewSonic is showing off its new PCs at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
The specs (statement) for these computing devices look like carbon copies of what you’d find in the field. The VieBook is 2.6 pounds and runs on Intel’s Atom platform. The screen is 10.2 inches and the VieBook starts at $429.
The VPC 100 ViePC, which starts at $549, has an 18.5 inch display and also has an Atom processor. ViewSonic says the VPC 100 is designed for call centers, libraries and information terminals and kiosks.
The LinkPC is a PC that can attach to any monitor. It also runs on the Atom processor and starts at $399.
The connective tissue here is ViewSonic’s cloud computing initiative, which wasn’t detailed much in the company’s statement. It remains to be seen whether customers bite. For now ViewSonic doesn’t list PCs as a product category.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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