HOLLYWOOD - Sony has launched its flat-screen wireless TV and computer monitor, the Airboard, in Japan, beating out other manufacturers who have similar products in the works. Users can watch over-the-air television programs on the 10-inch screen or use it, with a modem base station, to access the Internet. The touch screen allows users to navigate the Web and send emails. The Singapore Straits newspaper quoted Sony President and COO Kunitake Ando as saying of the device: "When I showed it to [Microsoft Chairman] Bill Gates, he was very excited. [Apple Chairman] Steve Jobs was shocked even." Analysts said that the device will initially be tested on the Japanese market, but noted that sales could be affected by the rising costs of LCD panels.