• Enables at-home wireless Internet search and AV data transmission
• Core technology for wireless LAN and Linux application secured ¡¦ to introduce Bluetooth-based products in April
• Product will be on the market in the latter half of 2001¡¦ to promote as strategic product of home networking

LG Electronics has developed a web pad, Digital iPAD, signaling its entry to the potentially very lucrative web pad market. Since web pads support wireless Internet search and AV data transmission/reception while enabling wireless connection with other devices, it is being hailed as a "Post PC."

The new product can directly access the Internet in a wireless environment and enables wireless networking with devices within a maximum of 100 meters around it through wireless LAN. In the future, in addition to simple Internet access, it will also support home networking features to wirelessly control various appliances at home. LGE plans to introduce Bluetooth-enabled home networking products in April.

Digital iPAD has a pen recognition function that recognizes Korean as well as English inputs so that you can use the touch-screen function on the 8.4-inch LCD for e-mail, word processing and many other functions. It also has a media player that can run video and MP3 files. When the voice recognition feature is added, video phoning will be possible. It can also be used for car navigation via a geographic information system.

It can support up to 10Mbps of data communication through wireless LAN and can send not only still images (JPEG, GIF, etc.), but also videos (MPEG 1, MPEG 4, etc.). With a USB interface, it can also easily connect to conventional PCs. A compact flash memory card can also be added for storing AV and multimedia data.

Linux, with no royalty requirement and rich venues for application, is the basic operating system. LGE plans to expand Linux-based its next generation Internet appliance business.

Intel's StrongARM is the basic CPU and although a 200MHz CPU is currently being used, through technological collaboration with Intel, it will adopt Intel's next generation embedded CPU with speed of 400MHz.

Digital iPAD was developed by LGE with two years of R&D efforts with input by over ten researchers a year and investment of a total of two billion won. The research has also helped LGE gain core technologies for the Post PC industry. The new product will be commercially available from late this year in and out of Korea.

In conjunction with continuing product development in this area, LGE also plans to expand cooperative ties with world leading PC and AV companies to secure various business opportunities. LGE will also make web pad one of its flagship products of Internet appliance and home networking areas, which are being promoted as strategic business areas by LGE.