Panasonic Unveils Viera Tablet with TV Capability

(NewsCore) - The much-anticipated deluge of new tablets began Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, with Panasonic introducing a new device that can communicate with -- and possibly replace -- its televisions.

The tablet will be part of the Japanese company's “Viera” lineup, a series of interconnected devices that run on shared software.

Shiro Kitajima, president of Panasonic Consumer Electronic Co., unveiled the new tablet to gasps in a ballroom at the Venetian Hotel. Brandishing the tablet like Moses on descent from Sinai, Kitajima had only a brief tease for the thousand-plus crowd.

“Its features enable you to take control,” he said.

The Viera tablet will be able to show full television shows or sporting events live, Panasonic said in promotional materials.

The new gadget will be released sometime in 2011, Kitajima said.

Apple, whose iPad jump-started the tablet movement last April, rarely makes announcements at CES. More tablets are expected to be announced Thursday and Friday, when the world's largest consumer technology trade show, officially opens.