The Pepper Pad enters the market

The wireless Pepper Pad, from Pepper Computer, Inc. is now available. The device was announced during the DEMOMobile 2004.

The Pepper Pad is a portable wireless device that gives consumers instant Internet and digital media while also controlling other in-home devices. It provides in a ruggedized package a Mozilla-based Web browser, AOL instant messaging and e-mail; it allows users to collect, organize and share videos, music and photos. It also serves as a TV and stereo remote control.

The Pepper Pad is a 2.3-pound, Wi-Fi-enabled device, with a large, high-resolution screen, 20-gigabyte hard disk, built-in speakers and a thumb keypad, providing a powerful, versatile platform for a much wider range of online and off-line activities than any other portable device. It comes with a 8.4-inch display ideal for viewing full-width Web pages and watching full-screen videos. The Pepper Pad can store hours of music and videos, plus thousands of photos.

With three forms of wireless communication including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and infrared (IR) the Pad can access and control a wide range of devices around the home, from Wi-Fi access points, to keyboards and mice, to TVs, set-top boxes, music systems, home theaters and media servers. It's an ideal way for consumers to have Internet and media access plus wireless remote control in every room of their home.

The Pepper Pad can be used anywhere, with or without Wi-Fi. Consumers can take advantage of home networks and public wireless hotspots for access to online services, or offline, they can play digital media they've saved on the Pepper Pad's built-in hard disk. The Pepper Pad is fully functional and ready to use right out of the box.

The Pepper Pad is water-resistant and comes with a rechargeable lithium polymer battery with advanced power management for a day's worth of activities.

The Pepper Pad has an SVGA TFT LCD screen with an 800 X 600 resolution and resistive touch screen. The system is based on a 624-MHz Intel PXA270 application processor, Intel 2700G media processor and 256 MB of SDRAM. The Wi-Fi is complemented by Bluetooth, IR, SD/MMC card slot and a USB port. It also features built-in stereo speakers and microphone, jacks for headphones, external microphone and external video display, plus a direction-pad and scroll wheel for navigation and game playing. It has two options for text entry: a built-in lighted thumb-style QWERTY keypad or a separate (optional) keyboard connected wirelessly by Bluetooth or wired via USB.