VizioAllInOne
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Vizio finally intros its first Haswell PCs, with Iris Pro graphics and 802.11ac WiFi
At this point, we wouldn't be surprised if Intel used CES as an opportunity to talk up its next-generation laptop processors, due out later this year. That said, you'll still find the rare company that's just getting around to releasing models with Haswell. Vizio has belatedly refreshed both its 15.6-inch Thin + Light and its 24-inch all-in-one, both of which now come standard with fourth-generation, quad-core Core i7 processors, 1080p touchscreens, 802.11ac WiFi and Intel's Iris Pro graphics -- the same kind used in Apple's latest iMacs. Other than that, these have the same designs as the PCs Vizio showed off at last year's CES, which is to say they have all-metal bodies and flat keyboards with closely arranged buttons. As always, too, these come with zero bloatware installed, just like if you bought it from Microsoft itself. No word yet on pricing or availability, but you should know this: 15.6 and 24 inches are it as far as screen sizes go. That's right, the 14-inch laptop and 27-inch all-in-one are no más, so don't bother waiting for any refreshes there.
Spotted: Vizio's new touchscreen laptops and all-in-ones (hands-on)
If you loved Vizio's 2012 lineup of PCs, you're going to just love what it has in store for 2013. The company is refreshing nearly its entire line, and while these new models usher in upgraded components, they have the same industrial design as the original lot. Perhaps the biggest change is that all of Vizio's new PCs going forward will come with touchscreens, so that the Thin + Light is now the Thin + Light Touch, and the All-in-One is now the All-in-One Touch. (Fair enough!) As you can imagine, that makes the laptops in particular slightly thicker and heavier than they had been, but only slightly. Truly, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. We were, anyway. Additionally, Vizio has updated the trackpad drivers, though the touchpad we tested still felt a bit finicky. Just as important, the company's also re-tooled the keyboard so that the buttons offer a springier feel. They keys have the same flat, close-together design they always had, so don't be put off if you see these on the shelf at Best Buy. Even in our quick-hands-on, we immediately noticed our typing felt more accurate, more controlled than it had been with the last-gen models. Finally, Vizio says it's doubled the battery capacity, which is great news because the first-gen laptop we tested couldn't even crack four hours. This seems like a lofty ,claim given that touchscreens are known to hamper battery life anyway, but we're vowing to keep our expectations low and hope for the best. All told, these tweaks address most user complaints, though the SD slot is sadly still MIA. Under the hood, these machines will all have quad-core processors, with most models giving you a choice between an Intel Core i7 CPU and AMD's high-end A10 chip. Most of them (read: the 15-inch Thin + Light and the 24- and 27-inch all-in-ones) will have 1080p screens, though the smaller 14-inch Thin + Light will rock a lower-res 1,600 x 900 panel. No word just yet on pricing, but we're told these will go on sale in mid-February. Until then, the performance, sharp touchscreens, bigger battery and re-engineered keyboard look very promising indeed. Only when we test a final unit, though, can we tell whether Vizio finally figured out how to make a quality computer. Follow all the latest CES 2013 news at our event hub.
Vizio's 24- and 27-inch Ivy Bridge all-in-ones get official: on sale today for $898 and up
Vizio recently announced that its first PCs -- the ones we glimpsed at CES back in January -- will ship in June. From our previous hands-on time, we already knew that the company's 24- and 27-inch all-in-ones sport 1080p screens and include HDMI passthrough for using them as HDTVs even with the PC portion turned off. And the company clearly drew on its TV know-how to turn out desktops with nice and thin profiles: the power supply is integrated into the subwoofer, and the pivoting neck is a single piece of aluminum connected to an invisible hinge. At the company's press event in NYC today, the all-in-ones got extra official -- as in, we have complete specs and pricing info. Both the 24- and 27-inch models feature Intel Ivy Bridge processors, NVIDIA Kepler GeForce GPUs (the base configurations ship with Intel HD Graphics 4000), 1920 x 1080 displays and 2.1 surround sound audio with SRS Premium Sound HD. Storage options start at 500GB of space (for the smaller model) and top out at a 1TB hard drive paired with a 32GB SSD. The PCs include dual HDMI inputs and ship with a remote control (hence Vizio's TV background). The 24-inch model will start at $898, while the 27-incher goes for $1,098 and up. As with Vizio's just-announced laptops, the desktops include a "V key" on the wireless keyboard, with shortcuts to media services like Hulu Plus, Vudu andI Netflix. Interestingly, none of these will come pre-installed, though the company said the services will offer special deals for Vizio PC owners. The PCs are now available online and at retailers such as Costco, Target and Walmart. %Gallery-158331% %Gallery-158330% Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.
Vizio keyboard and mouse roll through the FCC, PCs may ship by July 31st
The wait for Vizio's first PC range we first saw at CES may feel like an eternity, but our friends at the FCC have made that wait a little shorter with a pair of approvals. Both the wireless keyboard and its equally cable-free trackpad companion have been given clearance to pair up with your future all-in-one desktop when it reaches the US. There's even a clue as to the release timing baked into the filings: Vizio wants manuals and photos for both kept secret until July 31st to protect the "actual marketing of the device," suggesting we might have our designer PCs in hand by then. You're looking at the keyboard above, and you can read through for a view of the trackpad.
