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TAIPEI, TAIWAN - The PC is still king among the major OEMs in Taiwan, as manufacturers gear up systems for Comdex this week that back hardware alternatives to Intel Corp.'s processors and chip sets. However, at least one top-drawer systems maker here is banking on easyto-use information appliances to provide a gentle evolution from the mainstream PC business.
Acer Inc. (www.acer.com.tw), Taiwan's largest PC maker, plans to display such information appliances as a CyberTV, an Internet phone, a mobile smart phone, a home entertainment/Internet device, a Palm Pilot-like device with Internet features and a portable music player that downloads music from the Internet. The systems mark a new direction for the company, which still keeps a foot firmly planted in the mainstream PC business.
"For some time to come, personal computers will remain the most common type of digital access device for users to connect to the Internet," said David Tsai, senior project manager for the information products group at Acer. "New generations ofinformation appliances will likely incorporate the same fundamental PC technologies commonplace in today's IT industry. But these information appliances will be packaged and presented in new ways that are easier to use and more affordable."
Internet phone
Acer's Internet phone, the Iphone, is an Internet access device for e-mailing, Web...