IDEO ;aunches 'Web Slate' device which uses a Transmeta chip

The company that designed the popular Palm handheld computer has created a portable device based on Transmeta's recently introduced Crusoe PC-compatible chips.

IDEO designed a "Web Slate" which was demonstrated by Transmeta CEO David Ditzel during a conference last week. The device is designed to access the Internet over wireless connections using a touch-screen display and stylus input.

Ditzel also showed prototypes of portable devices from S3 called Day Tripper, and a tablet device from Quanta Computer. He said that other companies are preparing handheld devices that will use its Crusoe chips.

Transmeta revealed Crusoe in mid-January after raising $100m in a five-year effort. Crusoe uses very small amounts of power and a software technique called "code morphing" that allows it to emulate any microprocessor. Current versions offer X86 compatibility.