Freescale's sub-$200 tablet

Freescale Semiconductor unveiled blueprints for a tablet computer to be priced at less than $200 when it debuts later this year.

The devices will sport touch screens with as much as four times the viewing area of typical smartphones and be about a third of the size of an average netbook computer, according to the Texas-based company.

The tablets are designed with features including wireless internet connectivity, all-day battery life, and instant activation.

Freescale, which specialises in making chips embedded in devices, is hoping the blueprint will "jump-start creation of smartbook tablets" based on the company's microprocessors. Products based on the design could be in the market by mid-year, according to Freescale.