By Martin Vedris
SYDNEY: Like many PC manufacturers, Fujitsu watched the Australian market success of the Eee PC from the outer, but now with the launch of its M1010 netbook Fujitsu is dropping in on the mini netbook PC wave that Asus had all to itself for a few months.
Launching its Eee PC on the Australian market initially exclusively through Myer stores on 1 December 2007, Asus hit the market by surprise with a very small, light and affordable fully functional albeit basic notebook PC. The product was an instant sensation and questions were soon being asked of Asus’ competitors.
The answers soon came with Acer launching its Aspire One, HP coming to market with its 2133 Mini-Note PC and Natcomp bringing the Vivo Mini PC to market.
Now it’s Fujitsu’s turn.
According to Fujitsu, the M1010 will be available from Q408 onwards this year. Although Fujitsu has had small notebooks available in countries such as Japan for years, the M1010 is part of a brand new product line — the Fujitsu M Series.
Fujitsu describes M Series as “an internet-centric product … with just the right measure of mobility”.
“Consumers who demand ease of use and the availability of connectivity features in a mobile footprint will be glad they waited for the Fujitsu M1010,” said Fujitsu PC Australia country director, Ivan Chan.
“Committed to delivering a rewarding experience with quality mobile computing solutions to our customers, the M1010 is a great product for casual users who are in search of a comprehensive package for both work and fun.”
The M1010 has an 8.9-inch widescreen display with wireless connectivity, Bluetooth, an integrated 1.3 Mega Pixel web camera and digital array microphones. Out of the box consumers, or ‘netizens’ as they are being called, can use the internet, make VoIP calls and play around with a range of multimedia.
While more of an entertainment device than a fully functional notebook, Fujistu says it will have basic word processing capability. It will also have clip on covers in a range of colours and weigh around the one kg mark.
Pricing will not be available for around two weeks.