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Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp is planning to launch a palm-sized mobile PC with a battery life of up to ten hours.
Sharp is hoping the PC-Z1, also known as NetWalker, will create a new market for devices that sit somewhere between laptops and mobile phones.
The NetWalker’s ten-hour battery life allows users to make full use of net services, a five-inch, high resolution LCD touch screen, and a full qwerty keyboard for text input. The device is compatible with Microsoft Office software, so it can also be used to create and edit documents.
According to Reuters, Sharp Executive Vice President Masafumi Matsumoto told reporters: "You can take cell phones anywhere with you, and they are always on. But you have to live with a small display. Notebook PCs offer a large display and full keyboard, but their battery life is short and it takes time to start them up.
“We are introducing a mobile device that you can take with you wherever you go and comes with all major notebook PC functions."
Sharp plans to launch the device in Japan in September, with no specific date set for an overseas launch.
