Microsoft Corp said on Monday it had lined up four Japanese manufacturers to begin selling personal computers using its Mira technology that can turn flat-panel displays into portable touch-screen tablets. NEC Corp, Fujitsu Ltd , Matsushita Electric Industrial Co Ltd and Sotec Co Ltd will unveil by the end of 2002 new PCs that allow more seamless home computing by freeing users from a desk without sacrificing the power of a desktop computer. "We're seeing some strong momentum in the Japanese marketplace," said Keith While, a senior marketing director at Microsoft's embedded and appliance platforms group. Mira, instead of working like a laptop or tablet PC, uses a wireless network standard called 802.11 to let users detach their monitor and use a stylus pen to access the Internet, e-mail and digital content via their desktop PCs.
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