Internet-Ready LCDs To Rev Up Portable Consumer Mart

The addition of Web browsing, e-mail and networking functions to consumer and other portable products is reportedly easy and quick to accomplish now that iReady Corp.'s Internet Tuner technology has been integrated into a new line of intelligent LCD modules- the Tuner module is a semiconductor design licensed in the form of IP and can be easily integrated with other functions of a device. The product line will include a broad range of products- from character-based two-line displays to quarter VGA (320 x 240) graphic displays- with the initial offering consisting of two LCD module families: Network-Ready LCD modules with TCP, IP, UDP and PPP; and full-featured Internet-Ready modules. The former are designed for cell phones, digital cameras, printers, and other products requiring a simple network connection, while the second family is targeted at screen phones, electronic games, and other applications requiring full Internet capabilities, including e-mail and Web browsing.