The number crunching is done by an AMD Geode processor running at a modest 433 megahertz, compared with the 2-3 gigahertz of conventional laptops.

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At National Semiconductor's stand at CeBIT, a dozen or so WebPad vendors were displaying products based around the chip maker's integrated Geode processors and running operating systems ranging from Linux and QNX to Windows CE.

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Still, that is cold comfort for the backers of products such as the iCache Geode, a strange and ambitious iPhone contraption combining NFC and e-paper with a reprogrammable credit card that was floated last April.

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The device will also apparently come in a couple of different models, each boasting a 4.8-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen, a full QWERTY keypad, AMD LX900 or LX800 Geode processors, 30GB or 60GB hard drives (with a 6GB SSD drive an option on some models), and a promised 7 hours of battery life (or 11-12 hours with the optional expanded battery).

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