National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM), the leading provider of silicon and total system solutions for information appliances, and Metricom, Inc. (Nasdaq:MCOM), a leading high-speed wireless data company, today introduced the Geode(TM) WebPAD(TM) Metro, the result of a strategic alliance between the two announced earlier this year.
The WebPAD Metro is a second generation wireless personal access device and a production-ready solution for OEMs. The WebPAD Metro features: the processing power of National's Geode GX1 processor; the wide area mobile access capability of Metricom's 128 kbps Ricochet(TM) network available in markets on a nationwide basis; and the ease of use, familiar graphical user interface, and rich functionality of the Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 operating system. Altogether, the WebPAD Metro offers mobile workers and consumers a powerful and simple means of accessing information on the Internet -- without the restrictions of clipped Web pages, limited graphics, dropped connections, or busy signals.
The WebPAD Metro delivers full Internet access and compatibility and yet boasts the smallest form factor of any production-ready WebPAD today. The WebPAD Metro is less than eight inches tall, 10 inches wide, and approximately one inch in depth. The WebPAD Metro features an 8.4" TFT LCD display and weighs in at just two and one-half pounds. It comes complete with integrated 16-bit stereo sound capability, built-in speaker and microphone, and offers headphone, USB, and CompactFlash ports. The WebPAD Metro is complemented by a support and charging cradle. DT Research, a manufacturing partner, was key in the integration of all these features in addition to bringing the WebPAD Metro to market in record time.
"This product is a glimpse of the future of wireless Internet access - small form factors, full Internet compatibility, and high bandwidth wireless WAN connectivity. This is the way most people will interact with the Internet," said Michael Polacek, vice president of National's Information Appliance Division. "Metricom deserves a huge amount of credit for enabling this vision."
As a Ricochet-Ready device, the WebPAD Metro gives people the power to break free from a single location and access the full Internet and company networks when and where they want. Delivering data at 128Kbps, Ricochet is the industry's first mobile information access solution to duplicate high-speed wired access.
"By combining Ricochet with a compact form factor and powerful Geode processor, the WebPAD Metro is a natural for letting mobile users stay connected to the people and information they need to stay productive and add balance to their lives," said John Wernke, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Metricom. "National Semiconductor has proved to be a strong partner in delivering relevant high-performance solutions to the market, as attested by the new Ricochet-Ready WebPAD Metro."
With the flexibility afforded by Windows CE 3.0, the WebPAD Metro can operate as a personal Internet access device or as a thin client in client/server computing. Under all conditions, the set-up of the WebPAD Metro and connection to the network are simple and rapid with its instant-on capabilities and simplified user interfaces.
"Microsoft is excited that companies such as Metricom and National Semiconductor are working together to bring innovative devices based on Windows CE 3.0 to market," said Keith White, director of marketing, Embedded and Appliance Platforms Group at Microsoft Corp. "The combination of rich features and functionality along with an easy-to-use, comprehensive toolset make Windows CE 3.0 a great solution for companies developing mobile and connected devices."
Several color variations of the WebPAD Metro will be highlighted this week at Comdex. See them all in action at the National Semiconductor booth in the North Hall, no. L3005, as well as in the Microsoft booth in the South Hall, no. L4852.
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