Tablet makers diversify to tackle Apple

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Chinese tablet PC makers are trying to diversify their product lines to compete with Apple's iPad, finding business opportunities in the Chinese market, said industry experts.

TCL Corp, for example, launched its 26-inch mobile Internet device "iCE screen" in August. In order to diversify its products, the television maker transformed itself into a tablet PC maker. Unlike its competitor LG Electronics and Samsung Electronics Co, TCL chose a size between a tablet PC and an average TV.

LG has just launched an 84-inch 3D TV, which is the biggest flat 3D TV worldwide. Samsung introduced its 75-inch TV to the global market in August.

A 26-inch screen is much bigger than a regular tablet PC but smaller than a normal TV. TCL's chief executive officer Li Dongsheng said tablet PCs are normally 10 inches or 7 inches, while TVs average 40 inches to 60 inches. Therefore, a moveable 26-inch device filled the gap between them.

Unlike tablet PCs, the iCE screen doesn't have a touch screen. It has a remote controller and keyboard set. Users can move from the living room to the bedroom by carrying it, or rely on its two-hour battery outdoors.

"It's a new type of mobile Internet product," Li said. He predicted that TCL could sell more than 1 million iCE screens within six months.

Questions:

1. Who is the maker of the biggest flat 3D TV worldwide?

2. In which month did Samsung release a 74 inch TV?

3. Who is TCL’s CEO?

Answers:

1. LG.

2. August.

3. Li Dongsheng.

About the broadcaster:

CJ Henderson is a foreign expert for China Daily's online culture department. CJ is a graduate of the University of Sydney where she completed a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications, Government and International Relations, and American Studies. CJ has four years of experience working across media platforms, including work for 21st Century Newspapers in Beijing, and a variety of media in Australia and the US.