Chippy from UMPC Portal recently got to spend some time with a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini netbook. The verdict? Decent battery life and build quality, but the performance is pretty much exactly the same as every other Intel Atom-powere netbook on the market right now. So nothing to write home about.

He does point out that the small touchpad with mouse buttons on either side was tough to use at first but easy to get used to in under an hour. I had a very similar experience with the HP Mini-Note, which also has buttons to the left and right side of the touchpad instead of under it. At first I thought this would drive me batty, but it turns out that it’s really not that hard to get used to.

You can check out more pictures, including a shot of the Amilo Mini next to a Raon Digital Everun Note which looks miniscule in comparison, at UMPC Portal.

Over the past few days I’ve seen a lot of photos and specs sheets with info about the LG X110 and Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini. Both computers were introduced this week at the IFA show in Berlin. But videos have been a bit harder to come by. Fortunately, T3 and my friend Sascha from Eee PC News.de have stepped up to the plate.

Probably my favorite part of the videos is when the Fujitsu rep pretty much admits that the Fujitsu Siemens has practicaly identical hardware to every other netbook and that what makes it stand out are the multi-colored, changeable faceplates. Because honestly, it’s kind of true — most of the netbooks hitting the market today are the same when it comes to specs. So the cosmetic differences are becoming some of the only noticeable differences.

That may change when VIA starts shipping its Nano processor and we start to see some Nano-based devices competing with the throng of Intel Atom-based computers. But for now, if you want to make your netbook stand out, changeable faceplates are about as good an idea as any.

If you’re craving a bit more detail about the Amilo Mini, Sascha has posted a few additional videos on his site including one that shows how long it takes to boot the system.

[via jkkmobile]

The official product page for the Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini is now live, and it clears up a bit of the confusion I’ve seen regarding this laptop over the past few days. First up, the machine packs a 1.8 inch 4200rpm hard drive, not a 3600rpm drive. Second, it includes with a 4 cell, 2200mAh battery, with an optional 6 cell version coming in December.

The company claims you can get up to 4 hours and 25 minutes of battery life with the standard battery (in idle mode), or up to 2 hours and 35 minutes of general usage including surfing the web. It takes an hour and 20 minutes to fully charge the battery if the PC is off, and an extra 20 minutes to charge the battery if you’re using the laptop.

Here’s a semi-complete rundown of the specs:

• Display: 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixels
• CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom
• RAM: 1GB
• Storage: 60GB, 80GB, or 120GB HDD
• OS:Windows XP
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g WiFi, Bluetooth
• Expansion: ExpressCard, 4-in-1 card reader, 2 USB ports, VGA output
• Battery: 4 cell, 2200mAh
• Webcam: 1.3MP
• Dimensions: 9.2″ x 6.9″ x 1.1″ ~ 1.4″
• Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Colors: Black and white with changeable black, red, brown, and pink faceplates
• Price: About $588 US
• Availability: October

Fujitsu has also posted a gallery of high resolution images of the laptop.

[via jkkmobile]

Thanks to Netbux.de and jkkmobile, I’ve got a a bit more information about the upcoming Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini. First the good news, it will be available in Europe for 399€ in October. Now the bad news, it does not look like this PC will be available outside of Europe… yet.

Here’s what’s in the box:

• Display: 8.9 inch, 1024 x 600 pixels
• CPU: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
• OS: Windows XP Home Edition
• RAM: 1GB
• Storage: 60GB HDD (3600 rpm)
• Connectivity: 802.11b/g, Bluetooth
• Expansion: ExpressCard Slot, 4-in-1 card reader, VGA output, 3 USB ports
• Webcam: 1.3MP
• Batteries: 4 cell, 4800mAh (or 2200mAh)
• Weight: 1kg or about 2.2 pounds
• Dimensions: 9.2″ x 6.9″ x 1.1″ ~ 1.4″
• Price: 399€ or about $595 US
  

The Amilo Mini will also have 5 changeable faceplates so you can accessorize your laptop to match your phone, shoes, purse, or whatever. You can find a few more pictures at jkkmobile.

Update: It looks like there are either multiple configurations or some misinformation is going around. Johannes from Netbux.de says he’s got a unit with a 2200mAh battery and a 4200rpm HDD.

After months, or rather, month of speculation, Fujitsu Siemens officially unveiled the Amilo Mini laptop at the IFA show in Berlin today. The Amilo Mini will come with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, an 8.9 inch display, 1GB of RAM, and a hard drive with 30GB to 80GB of storage space.

At the moment that’s all I can tell you, since I’ve only seen the news reported one place so far. There’s no information about the Amilo Mini on the Fujitsu Siemens web site yet. But I suspect we’ll be hearing much more about this little laptop in the coming days.

Update: For more information and (finally) a better photo, check out this post.

It looks like Fujitsu Siemens could be launching its Amilo Mini netbook in a few weeks. The company is holding a press event on August 28th at the IFA trade show in Berlin, and IDG News says it’s likely that Fujitsu Siemens will likely discuss the notebook at that point.

While a few pictures and videos of the Amilo Mini have been making the rounds, there’s not a ton of information about the machine available. It’ll pack an Intel Atom CPU, 1.3MP webcam, run Windows XP, and cost between 300 and 400 Euros. The only things that seem to set it apart from the dozens of other netbooks hitting the market are the fact that the Amilo Mini will have changeable faceplates in multiple colors including brown, black, pink, and red.

The upcoming Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini notebook will apparently have at least one feature you can’t find on the Asus Eee PC, MSI Wind, or Acer Aspire One: changeable faceplates. I’m not sure how many people buy a laptop based on its ability to accessorize with different outfits. But if there’s a market for cellphone faceplates, why not laptop faceplates?

The Amilo Mini will have run Windows XP and have an Intel Atom CPU and 8.9 inch display. No word on whether the notebook will use a hard drive or solid state disk or whether it will be available outside of Europe.

[via jkkmobile]

Johannes from Netbux.de wrote in to let me know that he’s uncovered a few more details about the upcoming Fujitsu Siemens Netbook.

As we already knew, the computer will pack an 8.9 inch display and run 300 to 400 Euros, or about $475 to $633 US. But it also looks like the computer will sport an Intel Atom CPU, a 1.3MP camera, an Express Card slot for a 3G modem, and will run Windows XP.

Oh yeah, and Johannes also posted some video. All we can really tell from the movie is that the laptop handles video pretty well. But what else do you really need a computer to do?

Fujitsu Siemens has been making ultraportable laptops for years. But they’re not exactly cheap. Now it looks like the company is getting ready to join Asus, Acer, HP, Dell, MSI and others in launching a laptop that’s both cheap and tiny. Fujitsu Siemens hasn’t released many details about its upcoming device, but Netbux.de did manage to score a picture of the laptop.