A NEW computer system will transform how people around the world use PCs.

The Broadband Computer Company, based in Newcastle, has developed hardware and software to make computing as simple as possible.

It provides users with all the capability and functions they require without the responsibilities of setting up, managing or maintaining a PC.

The product is to be tested by 200 users this month with a view to it being launched in the UK in January next year.

A business version of the product will also be launched early next year and there has already been interest from several international markets.

The Broadband Computer Company - which brings together IT, media and marketing specialists - has spent the past three years developing the hardware and software to make the system work.

The company received £750,000 in funding from NorthStar Equity Investors (NSEI) through its Co-Investment Fund.

The investment was part of a £1.5m funding round with the rest of the money coming from private investors. Legal advice on the investment was provided by Ward Hadaway.

Paul Anthony Beaumont, chief executive at the Broadband Computer Company, said: "This is computing at its simplest and most effective.

"All users have to do is switch on the machine and identify themselves. We'll do the rest, from setting up and maintaining the system, to making sure the user has the latest software.

"Work is saved automatically, there are no problems with licences or viruses and the user interface is very, very intuitive and fun to use. Gone are the days of the complicated PC - welcome to tech-free computing".

Alasdair Greig, investment manager at NSEI, said: "This is an exciting development in computing that has huge potential in both the domestic and business markets. It could make computers more accessible to a far wider range of users.

"It's another example of cutting edge technology that is being developed here in the North-East."