Vizio on Tuesday announced the future availability of its Co-Star Stream Player. The set-top box is powered by the latest version of Google TV and includes support for OnLive’s cloud gaming service. “Our focus to deliver the best consumer experience continues with today’s announcement of the Co-Star, which delivers a superior smart TV interface that anyone can add to their existing HDTV,” said Matt McRae, VIZIO’s Chief Technology Officer. “We combined the powerful features of Google TV™ with an intuitive and easy to use interface, giving users the power to enjoy an entire world of entertainment.” The Vizio Co-Star will be available for preorder in July for the low-price of $99.99. Vizio’s press release follows below. VIZIO LAUNCHES THE VIZIO CO-STAR™

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[Every time a hot new gadget is announced, the buzz can reach a boiling point before anyone stops to think about what all the fuss is all about. In our Scouting Report series, we’ll cut through the marketing jargon and examine what makes a certain product special—or in some cases, simply overhyped.]

"A huge percentage of users take their computers home and re-image them. What other device do you know of where the first thing you do is fix it?"
-- Vizio CTO Matt McRae

That's Vizio's explanation for why its new line of PCs come with no bloatware or bundleware at all. You get a clean system right out of the box. If you're a long-time PC user, it's probably music to your ears, and it speaks to the overall drive of Vizio's entry to the PC market: to distrupt the a huge, mature industry with a focus on customer experience. Vizio's entry into the PC market is heralded by three products—a standard laptop, a thin and light laptop in two sizes, and an all-in-one in two sizes—with a serious focus on design and engineering.

Or so the company says. Vizio's PCs are noteworthy because they mark the HDTV maker's entry into a very big and competitive business, but this is hardly the first time a PC company has proclaimed it puts top-notch engineering and design above all else.

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