Fujitsu Announces New Notebooks, Upgrades Two Others

Fujitsu Computer Systems announced four new notebook PCs on Tuesday, all powered by chips from Intel and all designed for business users.

The LifeBook Q2010 is a high-end executive notebook, weighing a scant 2.2 pounds (0.997 kilograms) with a 12.1-inch display. The PC will run on an Intel Core Solo processor when it launches within a few months in North America.

The LifeBook E8210 is a widescreen corporate notebook designed to support multimedia visual displays on its 15.4-inch screen. Fujitsu, of Sunnyvale, Calif., also upgraded two existing notebook models designed for mobile enterprise users: the LifeBook S7110 and E8110.

The announcement is welcome news for Intel, of Santa Clara, Calif., as it prepares to release its first-quarter earnings after the financial markets close on Wednesday. The company has seen its sales suffer in recent months due to competition from rival Advanced Micro Devices. Intel issued a warning in March that its quarterly earnings would be lower than expected.

The new Fujitsu computers hit the market exactly one year after Intel released its first dual-core processor, the Pentium 840, said Intel spokesman John Casey.

Since then, the company has moved aggressively into multicore design. By the end of 2006, it will use multicore designs in 70 percent of its processors for performance notebooks and desktops and 85 percent of its processors for servers, he said.

In fact, three of the new Fujitsu designs will include dual-core Intel processors.

The LifeBook E8210 will drive rich visual content with Intel’s Centrino Duo Mobile processor and an available ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics processor. The 5.9-pound notebook will cost US$1,249 when it launches in May in North America.

The E8110 is a 5.7-pound “corporate mainstay” that combines stability, security and performance, Fujitsu said. It costs $1,249. The S7110 is a 4.5-pound portable platform that balances light weight and high-end performance, and costs $1,449. Both of those notebook PCs are available now in North America.

-Ben Ames, IDG News Service

For related news coverage, read Fujitsu to Launch Blu-Ray, HD-DVD Equipped PCs in June.

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