lg-tablet-patent

While LG is reportedly looking to scale back its netbook ambitions, Electronic Pulp  dug up a patent filing from November that seems to indicate that just a few months ago the company was thinking big. According to the patent documents, LG was working on a “convertible computer” that would be “equipped with a notebook computer function and a tablet computer function.”

In other words, the patent describes a convertible touchscreen tablet like the Asus Eee PC T91 or the Intel Classmate 3. What’s interesting about the LG concept is that the computer would run two different operating systems. It would automatically detect whether the machine was configured in tablet or notebook mode and select the appropriate OS.

It’s not entirely clear whether the patent describes a netbook or a full sized laptop, but given LG’s recent launch of the X110 and X120 mini-laptops, my guess is that the idea would have been to launch a small convertible tablet to compete with low cost netbook tablets from Asus and other manufacturers.

But given LG’s decision to cool its netbook jets and focus on mobile phones, I’m guessing we won’t see a tablet from LG until 2010 at the earliest. Or at least not a new one. As Electronic Pulp points out, LG did launch a convertible tablet in 2007 with a 10.6 inch display, a 1.2GHz Intel Core duo CPU, and NVIDIA GeForce 7300 graphics. It may have looked like a netbook, but it had the specs and price of a full fledged laptop. 

via Eee PC.net

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9 replies on “Is LG planning a netbook tablet?”

  1. A trick.

    There is no reason why that LG needs 1.2GHz Intel Core duo CPU, and NVIDIA GeForce 7300 graphics. There must be a way to do the same thing with less expensive parts. There is no reason that Netbooks cannot get better and better without getting more and more expsneive. The very second you hear something costing over $450 your BS meter should be off the chart. Even with a table design there is NO REASON these devices cannot be netbook priced.

    There is no reason why the next generation of Atom + GMA 945, Atom +ION or VIA + ION or with added features needs to raise the price of Netbooks….but that is exactly what will happen. They will slowly start shifting the discussion by saying, “Well this is more advanced so it will cost more…you understand.” And over time they will start convincing people a $350-$400 computer never happened and that it is reasonable to have $600 computers..

    “Feeds us bull$%# and keep us in the dark until we’ll have mushrooms for heads” seems to be the plan.

  2. You have to love that the Netbook/Atom/ultra-portable cheap PC revolution has managed to bring down the price of nearly every type of PC on the market…barring high end media creation and gaming, of course.

    Roll on.

  3. I bought an LG LRA-850 (VCR-like DVD recorder) before and it was complete junk. I will *NEVER* buy any other LG product again. I suggest naming the LG netbook LGarbage. I’m sure I would have as much fun with it and a hammer as I did with their crap recorder.

  4. The patent process is a very long, slow process – –
    They may well be reading a 2007 application recently made public.

    2. A renewed application of their 2003 application (this update deletes the first 23 claims).

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