Fujitsu-Siemens Intros Business Notebooks

Fujitsu-Siemens is going after the entry- and mid-level business user with its new lightweight Esprimo notebook computers.

Fujitsu-Siemens seems to be of the opinion that Fujitsu’s LifeBook line of notebook computers doesn’t quite meet the needs of the business market, so the combined company is introducing a new line of three business-oriented notebooks dubbed “Esprimo”—the U9200, M9400, and D9500. The new notebooks all sport Intel’s Santa Rosa chipset and Core 2 Duo processors, and sport embedded UMTS mobile data access for on-the-go connectivity back to the home office.

“The new Esprimo Mobile family combines high functionality and performance with a fine design and is very lightweight,” says Dieter Herzog, Fujitsu-Siemens executive VP of Infrastructure Products, in a release. “The Esprimo Mobiles are tailor-made for business people who do not want to lose out on any office comforts while traveling.”

The U9200 is the Esprimo’s entry in the ultra-portable category, sporting a 12.1 inch 1,280 by 800 pixel display, up to 10 hours of battery life (with a second battery), and a total weight of just under 4 pounds. The U9200 will be available with Intel Celeron M540 or Intel Core 2 Duo processors running up to 2.4 GHz, support up to 4 GB of RAM, optional 802.11b/g or a/g/n Wi-Fi networking, gigabit Ethernet, a dual-layer DVD±RW drive, Bluetooth, VGA and S-Video output, 3 USB 2.0 ports, a 3-in-1 memory card reader, and and an ExpressCard/34 slot, and offers an optional video conferencing camera. The M9400 kicks things up to a 14.1-inch 1,280 by 800 pixel display, wile the D9500 kicks out to a 15.4-inch display at either 1,280 by 800 or 1,400 by 900 pixels.

Fujitsu-Siemens plans to launch the Esprimos in Germany this August at prices starting at €1,099 (including VAT); no word on whether these systems will make it to the North American market, but UMTS connectivity limits available carrier options.