LG Electronics said Wednesday it would release its first tablet computer in the United States in March as it prepares to go head to head with Apple's iPad.

LG said the G-slate was among the first tablet models to run on the "Honeycomb" operating system, which is Google's latest generation of Android platforms designed for mobile devices with large screens.

The G-slate features a 8.9-inch screen, smaller than the iPad's nearly 10-inch display but larger than the seven-inch screen of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab. LG did not give a price for the new gadget

The world's third-largest handset maker said the release date for the G-slate's global release would be disclosed later this month.

LG's handset business took a direct hit from smartphone offerings by global rivals and after posting a fourth quarter net loss of $229 million, it is now counting on new smartphones and tablet computers to drive sales.

"LG's table computer is expected to cause a new trend in the global market as well as in North America," the company said in a statement.

The iPad went on sale in South Korea last November, three weeks after Samsung launched its rival tablet computer in its home market.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab is more expensive than the cheapest iPad, which costs between $499 and $829.