Upstart Atlanta Technology Company Debuts $150 Maintenance-Free ''LiteComputer''

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lite Appliances, Inc., an innovative developer of a new category of "Lite" IP-enabled computing devices with broad functionality and breakthrough price points, today announced its entry into the $150 laptop marketplace. The powerful new “LiteComputer” will be debuted to the public at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

“We believe that the LiteComputer is well positioned to benefit from the surge in popularity of low-priced computing platforms”

“We believe that the LiteComputer is well positioned to benefit from the surge in popularity of low-priced computing platforms,” said Michael McChesney, General Partner of Five Paces Ventures, and an investor in Lite Appliances. “Businesses and consumers want to take advantage of the Internet’s multimedia content and inexpensive VoIP solutions, yet avoid the security and maintenance issues associated with the bloated operating systems that run today’s ‘personal computers’.”

The rugged LiteComputer is a complete hardware and software solution built by the engineering team at Unicoi Systems, an Atlanta software company that helps customers take innovative products to market quickly and affordably. The design is built around a Blackfin® Processor from Analog Devices, Inc. (NYSE:ADI), and offers everything a user needs to take advantage of the Internet, including:

• An Internet browser to view your favorite websites, get email or download music and videos
• A media player to playback music and videos
• Instant messaging to stay in immediate contact with friends, family and co-workers
• A VoIP softphone to take advantage of low-cost Internet calling

“Product developers from the senior care, retail, hospitality, and healthcare industries, have been working with us since last summer on early prototypes,” said Jack Knocke, Sr. Vice President of Business Development for Lite Appliances. “We are now actively seeking new trial partners to test additional market segments and feature sets.”

Similar to models recently introduced by Intel and MIT Media Labs, the LiteComputer offers all the advantages of the Internet at unprecedented prices. Unlike those models, however, the LiteComputer eliminates concerns about security and maintenance.

“The LiteComputer has no expensive Microsoft operating systems, no hard drive to corrupt and no software vulnerable to viruses and worms,” said Simon van Roosendaal, CEO of Lite Appliances. “We offer the industry’s most stable and worry-free low-cost computing device.”

Other exciting features of the LiteComputer include "instant on/off”, flash memory, and a proprietary real-time operating system with application software that eliminates the need for expensive antivirus and antispyware protection.

About Unicoi Systems

Unicoi Systems enables companies to transform pioneering product concepts into production-ready reference designs. Over 200 companies depend on Unicoi to enable their solutions including Philips, Sony, HP, Panasonic, Motorola and Scientific-Atlanta. For more information, visit www.unicoi.com.

About Lite Appliances

Lite Appliances is an innovative developer of space-saving devices that harness the power of the Web and provide convenient access to news, telephone service, email, media including audio and video, and other popular Internet applications. For more information, visit www.liteappliances.com.