Chinese manufacturers are pumping out dozens of clone models of Apple’s latest icon iPad into the market in an effort to appease the country’s growing appetite for mobile computers. Mastone Communication & Electrical Development, a Chinese cellphone maker expects to sell 500,000 of its latest tablet computers, called the LifePad, in China in the next 12 months. The company on Thursday teamed up with China Telecom to launch the device, which would run on the carrier’s 3G network.
First developed two years ago, Mastone’s tablet computer is based on the Android platform and comes preinstalled with applications such as navigation and handwriting recognition technology. The product, targeting business users, will be sold at 4,980 yuan ($729).
