Sony Corp. in September will launch two types of handheld computers that it says are strategic items in the Japanese market's coming broadband network era, the company announced Thursday.

PEG-S500C with a color liquid-crystal display and PEG-S300 with a black-and-white display run on an operating system jointly developed by Sony and Palm Inc. of the United States, a global market leader in handheld computers. The two firms' joint development was aimed at strengthening the audiovisual functions of mobile terminals.

The new products are equipped with features including Internet access via cellular phone, address book functions and a schedule manager. The products are compliant with Sony's Memory Stick, a flash memory card that can be used with Sony personal computers.

With the new products, Sony aims to carve a niche market between mobile personal computers and cellular phones.

"With the (handheld computer) having little recognition here, the Japanese market for the product remains small. We hope to spread the Sony (products) and expand the market in the country," a senior Sony official said.

The company expects the PEG-S500C to retail for around 60,000 yen and the PEG-S300 for around 55,000 yen.

Sony plans to launch the products on the U.S. market in the fall, with the goal of selling between 70,000 units and 100,000 units a month worldwide.