Photo: ViewSonic
Google’s Android OS might be best known as a smartphone or tablet operating system, but we’ve also seen many other devices with the open source platform on board, such as TVs or glasses. Now ViewSonic is adding a monitor to that list, with its newly unveiled touch screen VSD220 ‘smart display’ running Android 4.0.
Bringing Android to LCD displays
Google’s open-source Android OS continues to grow with no end in sight. According to Google chief Eric Schmidt, over 1.3 million Android devices are getting activated daily, whilst the total number of Android gadgets out there recently passed 500 million. The vast majority of these devices are smartphones, a domain that Android has dominated for awhile now, with tablets next in line. So far, we really haven’t seen Android on too many PCs, but ViewSonic is changing that by unveiling what it calls a ‘smart display’ with the VSD220, which is essentially an all in one PC running the Android OS.
Powered by dual-core 1GZ processor
From the outside, the ViewSonic VSD220 looks just like your ordinary PC monitor. It sports a 21.5 inch full HD 1080 display, with a 5ms response time and width of 21.9mm. However, the similarities with an ordinary ViewSonic LCD monitor end there, since the VSD220 is more like an all-in-one PC or tablet with its on board dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP processor, bolstered by 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage space, not to mention multi-touch capable display. Other PC-like hardware features on board the ViewSonic device include a microSD card reader, a front facing webcam, and connectivity features, including Bluetooth, WiFi, USB, micro-HDMI and an Ethernet port.
Runs Android 4.0 ICS
Of course, we’ve seen plenty of AiO PCs before, including touch screen variants, but what makes the VSD220 unique is the fact that it’s running Android, an OS usually reserved for mobile devices. The ViewSonic smart display is also running one of the latest Android versions with 4.0 ICS (though not the latest), which makes it compatible with thousands upon thousands of apps from Google Play. You’ll be able to use the monitor to do everything from checking your email, to playing games, to web browsing or viewing videos. ViewSonic envision the device being used in education and have apparently filled it with education and family based apps. Moreover, the company also sees a use for the VSD220 is commercial applications, where it could be used as a kiosk, for example.
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Mouse and keyboard compatible
Steve Jobs famously pointed out that touch screens don’t want to be vertical and we could easily imagine some user fatigue whilst using the VSD220, as people would eventually want to rest their arms. Fortunately, the ViewSonic VSD220 is fully compatible with a keyboard and mouse if you want to give your fingers a rest. Moreover, the VSD220 can also be plugged into your PC and used as a second LCD monitor, although doing so will disable the Android OS.
Not portable like a tablet
Though it might seem a bit like a large portable tablet, the VSD220 isn’t very portable; it lacks a battery and needs to be plugged in to work. However, ViewSonic did unveil the almost identical VCD220 earlier in the year at Computex. The difference with the VDC220 is that it has a battery and can be carried around, although we have no timeline for when (or if) the mobile version of the ViewSonic smart display will get launched.
Occupies a unique niche
While the Viewsonic smart display isn’t exactly a revolutionary device, it’s certainly unusual and unique. The VCD220 is somewhere between an Android tablet and an all in one PC in terms of functionality, except without the portability of the tablet or the performance of a PC. The Android display will be shipping in October for £359, which places it somewhat on the pricey side for most Android tablets, yet still much cheaper than most AiO PCs. Will you be interested in getting one? Let us know in the comments.
