ViewSonic
Encyclopedia
ViewSonic Corporation is a manufacturer and provider of visual technology, specifically CRT
monitors, liquid crystal display
s, projectors
, plasma display
s, HDTV
technology, and mobile products, including Mini and All-in-One PCs and wireless monitors.
The privately held company has approximately $1 billion in worldwide sales annually. ViewSonic's headquarters are located in Walnut, California
, United States
.
The ViewSonic logo features Gouldian Finch
es, colorful birds native to Australia
.
In the mid-1990s, ViewSonic rose to become one of the top-rated makers of computer CRT monitors, alongside Sony
, NEC
, MAG Innovision
, and Panasonic
. ViewSonic soon displaced the rest of these companies to emerge as the largest display manufacturer from America/Japan at the turn of the millennium.
In 2000, ViewSonic acquired the Nokia
Display Products' branded business.
In 2005, ViewSonic and Tatung
won a British patent lawsuit filed against them by LG Philips
in a dispute over which company created technology for rear mounting of LCDs in a mobile PC (U.K. Patent GB2346464B, titled, “portable computer.").
On July 2, 2007, the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise up to $143.8M in an IPO on NASDAQ
.
On March 5, 2008, the company filed a withdraw request with the Securities and Exchange Commission saying "terms currently obtainable in the public marketplace are not sufficiently attractive to the Registrant to warrant proceeding with the initial public offering."
In 1998, ViewSonic announced that two of its Professional Series monitors achieved TCO '99
certification.
In 2000, ViewSonic partnered with AT&T
to offer Internet appliance
s integrated with the AT&T WorldNet Service, initially targeting the corporate market. The Internet appliances ranged from standalone i-boxes, integrated LCD and CRT
devices, to web phones and wireless web pads. The units were deemed capable of operating on nearly any operating system
, including Windows CE
, Linux
, QNX
and VxWorks
.
In 2002 ViewSonic announced a 3840 x 2400 WQUXGA, 22.2-inch monitor, VP2290.
ViewSonic was the first manufacturer to bring Smart Display
to the market, with the Airpanel V150 in early 2003. This included a 15" 1024×768 LCD, a 400MHz Intel XScale
processor, 32MB ROM, 64MB RAM and 802.11b wireless, and a USB wireless hub for the host PC.
At the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show
, ViewSonic introduced display products, namely a projector
, monitors and an HDTV set, capable of being connected directly to a video iPod
.
The ViewSonic LCD monitor range currently includes four product groups, the VA value range, the VG multimedia range, the VX gamer range, and the VP professional range. The two-letter range codes are always used at the start of the product name followed by a number which indicates the diagonal screen size. They also produce the Optiquest
line of budget displays. Viewsonic Singapore unveiled their latest projectors series, the PJD7 that is designed for education and commercial use, and Pro8 which is ideal for businesses and homes.
On May 31, 2011, the ViewPad 7x debuted at the Computex computer show in Taipei, Taiwan, Pocket-Lint reported, being a follow-up rather than a replacement to ViewSonic's existing ViewPad 7 tablet, which runs Android 2.2, aka Froyo.
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
monitors, liquid crystal display
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
s, projectors
Video projector
A video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. All video projectors use a very bright light to project the image, and most modern ones can correct any curves, blurriness, and other...
, plasma display
Plasma display
A plasma display panel is a type of flat panel display common to large TV displays or larger. They are called "plasma" displays because the technology utilizes small cells containing electrically charged ionized gases, or what are in essence chambers more commonly known as fluorescent...
s, HDTV
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
technology, and mobile products, including Mini and All-in-One PCs and wireless monitors.
The privately held company has approximately $1 billion in worldwide sales annually. ViewSonic's headquarters are located in Walnut, California
Walnut, California
Walnut is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 29,172 at the 2010 census and its current mayor is Tom King, a former Detective from the Los Angeles Police Department....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The company was initially founded as Keypoint Technology Corporation in 1987. In 1990 it launched the ViewSonic line of color computer monitors, and shortly afterwards the company renamed itself after its brand. The founder, chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of ViewSonic is James Chu.Gouldian Finch
The Gouldian Finch, Erythrura gouldiae , also known as the Lady Gouldian Finch, Gould's Finch or the Rainbow Finch, is a colorful passerine bird endemic to Australia. There is strong evidence of a continuing decline, even at the best-known site near Katherine in the Northern Territory...
es, colorful birds native to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
In the mid-1990s, ViewSonic rose to become one of the top-rated makers of computer CRT monitors, alongside Sony
Trinitron
Trinitron is Sony's brand name for its line of aperture grille based CRTs used in television sets and computer display monitors. One of the first truly new television systems to enter the market since the 1950s, the Trinitron was announced in 1966 to wide acclaim for its bright images, about 25%...
, NEC
NEC
, a Japanese multinational IT company, has its headquarters in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. NEC, part of the Sumitomo Group, provides information technology and network solutions to business enterprises, communications services providers and government....
, MAG Innovision
MAG Innovision
MAG Innovision is a Taiwan-headquartered manufacturer and provider of visual technology, specifically CRT monitors, liquid crystal displays, projectors, plasma displays, and HDTV technology....
, and Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
. ViewSonic soon displaced the rest of these companies to emerge as the largest display manufacturer from America/Japan at the turn of the millennium.
In 2000, ViewSonic acquired the Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
Display Products' branded business.
In 2005, ViewSonic and Tatung
Tatung Company
Tatung Company , also known as Tatung, is a multinational corporation established in 1918 and headquartered in Zhongshan, Taipei, Taiwan. Tatung also maintains a regional headquarters in Long Beach, California for the U.S...
won a British patent lawsuit filed against them by LG Philips
LG Philips Display
LG.Philips Displays was a joint venture created by the LG Group of South Korea and Philips Electronics of the Netherlands. It primarily manufactured CRTs used in traditional television sets....
in a dispute over which company created technology for rear mounting of LCDs in a mobile PC (U.K. Patent GB2346464B, titled, “portable computer.").
On July 2, 2007, the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise up to $143.8M in an IPO on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
.
On March 5, 2008, the company filed a withdraw request with the Securities and Exchange Commission saying "terms currently obtainable in the public marketplace are not sufficiently attractive to the Registrant to warrant proceeding with the initial public offering."
Products
TCO Certification
TCO Certification is a series of product certifications for office equipment . It is set by TCO Development, owned by the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees, TCO . The certifications are named after years...
certification.
In 2000, ViewSonic partnered with AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
to offer Internet appliance
Internet appliance
An Internet appliance is a consumer device whose main function is easy access to Internet services such as WWW or e-mail. The term was popularized in the 1990s, when it somewhat overlapped in meaning with an information appliance, Internet computer, network computer, or even thin client, but now it...
s integrated with the AT&T WorldNet Service, initially targeting the corporate market. The Internet appliances ranged from standalone i-boxes, integrated LCD and CRT
Cathode ray tube
The cathode ray tube is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a fluorescent screen used to view images. It has a means to accelerate and deflect the electron beam onto the fluorescent screen to create the images. The image may represent electrical waveforms , pictures , radar targets and...
devices, to web phones and wireless web pads. The units were deemed capable of operating on nearly any operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
, including Windows CE
Windows CE
Microsoft Windows CE is an operating system developed by Microsoft for embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinct operating system and kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows...
, Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, QNX
QNX
QNX is a commercial Unix-like real-time operating system, aimed primarily at the embedded systems market. The product was originally developed by Canadian company, QNX Software Systems, which was later acquired by Canadian BlackBerry-producer Research In Motion.-Description:As a microkernel-based...
and VxWorks
VxWorks
VxWorks is a real-time operating system developed as proprietary software by Wind River Systems of Alameda, California, USA. First released in 1987, VxWorks is designed for use in embedded systems.- History :...
.
In 2002 ViewSonic announced a 3840 x 2400 WQUXGA, 22.2-inch monitor, VP2290.
ViewSonic was the first manufacturer to bring Smart Display
Smart Display
In computing, Smart Display was a Microsoft initiative to use a portable touchscreen LCD monitor as a thin client for PCs, connecting via Wi-Fi....
to the market, with the Airpanel V150 in early 2003. This included a 15" 1024×768 LCD, a 400MHz Intel XScale
XScale
The XScale, a microprocessor core, is Intel's and Marvell's implementation of the ARMv5 architecture, and consists of several distinct families: IXP, IXC, IOP, PXA and CE . Intel sold the PXA family to Marvell Technology Group in June 2006....
processor, 32MB ROM, 64MB RAM and 802.11b wireless, and a USB wireless hub for the host PC.
At the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer Electronics Show
The International Consumer Electronics Show is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new...
, ViewSonic introduced display products, namely a projector
Video projector
A video projector is an image projector that receives a video signal and projects the corresponding image on a projection screen using a lens system. All video projectors use a very bright light to project the image, and most modern ones can correct any curves, blurriness, and other...
, monitors and an HDTV set, capable of being connected directly to a video iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
.
The ViewSonic LCD monitor range currently includes four product groups, the VA value range, the VG multimedia range, the VX gamer range, and the VP professional range. The two-letter range codes are always used at the start of the product name followed by a number which indicates the diagonal screen size. They also produce the Optiquest
Optiquest
Optiquest is a line of budget LCD displays by ViewSonic.They differ from the main ViewSonic product line in several ways, such as availability of parts to warranty length....
line of budget displays. Viewsonic Singapore unveiled their latest projectors series, the PJD7 that is designed for education and commercial use, and Pro8 which is ideal for businesses and homes.
On May 31, 2011, the ViewPad 7x debuted at the Computex computer show in Taipei, Taiwan, Pocket-Lint reported, being a follow-up rather than a replacement to ViewSonic's existing ViewPad 7 tablet, which runs Android 2.2, aka Froyo.
Main competitors
- AcerAcer (company)Acer Incorporated is a multinational information technology and electronics corporation headquartered in Xizhi, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Acer's products include desktop and laptop PCs, tablet computers, servers, storage devices, displays, smartphones and peripherals...
- AOCAOC InternationalAOC International is the house brand of TPV Technology Limited , the world’s largest manufacturer of computer monitors. TPV Technology Limited is a Taiwan-based company. The group designs and produces a full range of CRT and TFT LCD monitors as well as LCD TVs for distribution...
- NEC Display Solutions
- Samsung ElectronicsSamsung ElectronicsSamsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational electronics and information technology company headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul...
- LG ElectronicsLG ElectronicsLG Electronics is a global electronics and telecommunications company headquartered in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. The company operates its business through five divisions: mobile communications, home entertainment, home appliance, air conditioning and business solution...
- BenQBenQBenQ Corporation is a Taiwanese multi-national company that sells and markets consumer electronics, computing and communications devices under the "BenQ" brand name, which stands for the company slogan Bringing Enjoyment and Quality to life .- Company :BenQ sells and markets technology products,...
External links
- ViewSonic Corporation (USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) - ViewSonic Corporation (EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
subsidiary) - Yahoo! Finance: ViewSonic Corporation
- ViewSonic Monitors