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April 21, 2009

Sharp Releases Notebook PC with Optical Sensor LCD Pad

World’s First*1 Optical Sensor LCD*2 Offers Improved Handwriting Recognition and
Finger-Touch Expression

Press Release

Sharp Corporation will release into the Japanese market a new notebook PC employing an optical sensor LCD for the touchpad. Its new touch-sensing recognition method allows handwritten input and intuitive direct-touch operation.

The 4-inch optical sensor LCD pad in this notebook PC is more than just a conventional track pad thanks to its new touch-sensing recognition method: in addition to conventional mouse operation, it allows pen-based input of drawings and text, as well as multiple-finger-touch operation (gestures) to enlarge, shrink, or rotate items on the screen. For example, users can sign their name to an on-screen photo before e-mailing it, or they can use two fingers to zoom in and out of Internet Web sites to make them just the right size for viewing. Unlike regular touch panels, Sharp’s optical sensor LCD pad requires no touch sensor or protective film, so illustrations and photos are crystal clear. And the large effective operation area allows for more freedom of movement.

In the future, Sharp will expand the possibilities for its notebook PCs by developing software that makes the most of the optical sensor LCD pad.

Product name Notebook PC
Nickname Mebius
Model name PC-NJ70A-W (white) PC-NJ70A-B (black)
Suggested retail price Open
Date of introduction in Japan Late May 2009

Major Features

1. World’s first optical sensor LCD pad allows both pen-based input and multiple-finger-touch operation.
2. Screen background and menu icons of the optical sensor LCD pad, the back of the cabinet, and other elements can be customized.
3. Comes with proprietary software for enjoying e-books*3 and games with pen- and finger-touch operation.

*1 As of April 21, 2009, for PCs.
*2 A proprietary Sharp LCD device in which an optical sensor is built into the transistor layer of the LCD panel. By recognizing light reflection or shadows caused by the stylus or fingers, it allows pen-based input and multiple-finger-touch operation.
*3 Compatible with the XMDF format. Sharp Space Town (http://books.spacetown.ne.jp/sst/) has e-books in the XMDF format (some are free).

For more information, visit http://www.sharp.co.jp/mebius (Japanese only)


Specifications

Model name PC-NJ70A-B/-W
Installed OS*4 Windows Vista® Home Basic with Service Pack1 (SP1)
LCD 10.1-inch Wide Pure Clean LCD (WSVGA compatible)*5
CPU Intel® Atom™ processor N270 (1.60 GHz)
Chip set Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express Chip Set / ICH7-M
Main memory 1 GB standard (expandable to 2 GB, DDR2 SDRAM)*6
Keyboard 86 keys (JIS layout)
Hard disk*7 Approx. 160 GB (Serial ATA)
Optical sensor LCD pad Display function:4-inch optical sensor LCD (FWVGA, 854 x 480, LED backlight, 65,536 colors)

Input function: Optical sensor method (Mouse operation: Compatible with finger gestures; Touch operation: Handwriting input, hand-drawn illustrations, touchpad software)
Web cam CMOS camera with approx. 1.3 million effective pixels*8
CD/DVD/FD drive
Communication functions LAN (100Base-TX/10Base-T),
wireless LAN (IEEE802.11b/g compliant*9), Bluetooth® functions (Bluetooth® wireless technology Ver. 2.1 + EDR compliant [class 2])
Card slots SD memory card, SDHC memory card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD-Picture Card
Sound functions Built-in chip set + High Definition Audio Codec, built-in stereo speakers, built-in monaural microphone
Interface External display output (analog RGB, 15-pin mini D-sub)
Microphone input (3.5-mm-dia. stereo mini-jack)
Headphone output/audio output (3.5-mm-dia. stereo mini-jack)
(3) USB port (USB 2.0 compliant)
LAN (RJ45)
Battery life*10 Approx. 3 hours
External dimensions, weight Approx. 260 (W) x 190 (D) x 23.3–39.8 (H) mm excluding protrusions; approx. 1.46 kg
Software Handwritten character input, hand-drawn illustrations, calculator, gesture operation, home menu, favorites menu, electronic dictionary menu, e-book menu, photo menu, entertainment menu (mini-bowling, piano, matching puzzles, sticky notes), Sharp LCD pad settings, Sharp power-save settings, Iwanami Shoten Kojien Dictionary 6th edition, Gakken Shinseiki Big Visual Dictionary, Kanjigen Dictionary 3rd edition JIS No. 1 and 2 standard edition, Super Anchor English-Japanese Dictionary 1st edition, Super Anchor Japanese-English Dictionary 1st edition, Gendai Japanese Dictionary revised 3rd edition, Personal Katakana Dictionary, Bunko Viewer for Mebius, Omakase Internet, Windows® Internet Explorer® 7, Windows Media® Player 11, Windows Live Suite (Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery), JWord, Yahoo! tool bar, Raku-Raku Postcard Select edition for Sharp, Adobe® Reader 9, Virus Buster™ 2009 90-day edition, McAfee Site Advisor 30-day trial edition, i-Filter 5*11, hard disk erase utility, Recovery Disk Creator, etc.

*4 Only supports pre-installed OS.
*5 The width vs. height dot pitch ratio is 1 : 0.96.
*6 Not compatible with dual channel.
*7 Calculated at 1 GB = 1 billion bytes.
*8 Can be used with Windows Live Messenger and other videoconferencing software.
*9 Japanese domestic specifications. The internal wireless LAN module is approved by appropriate technical standards.
*10 The battery running time is based on measurements provided by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA Battery Measurement Method [version 1.0]). For further information, please refer to our Web site (http://www.sharp.co.jp/mebius/). The actual battery running time may differ depending on configuration and use.
*11 Installer bundled. Can be used for 30 days from start of use.




The above information is true and accurate at the time of publication. Manufacture, sale, price and specifications of products may be subject to change.


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