ViewSonic Throws Hat In Smartphone Arena
The Walnut, Calif.-based display giant did say the devices will initially be launched in China, followed by Europe and the Americas, but would not provide information about a time frame, pricing or network carrier.
ViewSonic said that given its history in display technology, it makes sense for the company to ride the wave of ever-increasing demand in mobile phone technology.
"Consumers are demanding larger screens, greater color saturation and contrast to take advantage of new services such as mobile Internet, television and video applications, gaming and eBooks," the company said in a statement. "ViewSonic is well positioned to take advantage of the rapidly expanding 3G smartphone market."
ViewSonic cited a March 2009 report from research firm iSuppli, which forecasts that global smartphone unit shipments for 2009 will climb 11.1 percent to 192.3 million, up from 173.6 million in 2008.
"With 20 years of display experience, this is a natural extension of our product expertise," James Chu, chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. "This is an important strategic step for ViewSonic, as it allows us to apply our display technology to an even larger and rapidly growing worldwide market."