Legend Group to boost R&D outlay to US$482 million

Legend Group Ltd, China's largest personal-computer maker, said it plans to spend up to 4 billion yuan (US$482 million) on research and development in the next three years. Among the innovations it's developing: using cellphones to program home stereo systems.

"This year alone, Legend's investment in research and development could reach about 800 million yuan," Legend president Yang Yuanqing said yesterday at the opening of a global technology symposium sponsored by the company. "Exactly which projects the investment will go into, I don't want to say."

Hong Kong-listed Legend has been expanding into personal digital assistants and mobile phones, though personal computers accounted for 89 percent of sales in the six months ended Sept. 30.

Legend unveiled one key research project at the symposium: development of its own technology standard for linking digital home appliances and computers.

Legend has spent the past two years developing its own standard to link cellphones to stereos.