Panasonic Viera Android Tablet Hands-On (Video)

As TV- and computer-makers join the ranks of smartphone manufacturers in releasing consumer-grade tablets that appeal to the masses, the space for slates and tablet computers is and will be getting crowded. To differentiate itself from other tablets, these makers will need to add a unique experience to their slates–Toshiba has done so by offering up-conversion and now Panasonic is demonstrating that it can stand out from the crowd with its Viera Tablets by offering users the ability to not only connect to its Viera Connect smart TV system, but to also offer users the ability to nicely integrate the tablet experience with the home television experience.

We caught up with Panasonic on the show floor of the Consumer Electronics Show and got a demo of the company’s 10-inch slate–Panasonic will also be releasing a 7- and 4-inch Viera Tablet version to join the family. According to company representatives, you can use the Viera Tablets with Viera Connect–formerly VieraCast–which will allow you to find content to watch and browse. After you’ve found the content you want to watch, you can use a gesture to ‘drag’ the content from the tablet to your Panasonic Viera TV and watch it on the larger screen. Now, with the tablet, you can either play the same content on both large and small screen, or multi-task and use the tablet’s display to find other content to watch and queue it up while you’re watching your favorite programming on the larger HDTV. Your Viera Tablet can then serve as your remote control for your Viera TV.

Panasonic wasn’t releasing any specs on the tablets at this time. The company said that it was showing prototype models and that the production models may offer newer specs when they are released. Moreover, the company was more focused on showing the added value of its Viera Connect integration, which is a smart move as compared to competing on just specs.