October 1, 2008 5:00 AM PDT

Fujitsu gets wacky with LifeBook A1110

by Michelle Thatcher

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In the past few years, as companies like Dell and Sony have been making a big deal about releasing laptops in a rainbow of colors, Fujitsu has seemed content to stick with the traditional black, white, or silver. That all changed on Wednesday, when the company released the LifeBook A1110, a 15.4-inch laptop with a distinct, eye-catching patterned lid.

Even better, the lid incorporates a swappable exterior panel, so if you become bored with the default green pattern, $20 buys you pink butterflies, or an ornate blue pattern, and potentially other colors in the future. Fujitsu has engineered the lid so that it can easily snap on and snap off the LCD cover for countless wardrobe changes. Cool, no?

The LifeBook A1110 includes one other small innovation that's not as obvious as a snazzy changeable lid. A removable dust filter sits in front of the vents; it works like the lint trap on a clothes dryer, catching dust particles before they clog up the vents and computer interior. The removable part can easily be cleaned out every once in a while, which should help keep the laptop's temperature down.

Fujitsu lets you configure the LifeBook A1110 to order with either the Intel Core 2 Duo P7350 or T5800 processors on a Centrino 2 platform, up to 4GB of 800MHz RAM, 32-bit or 64-bit Windows Vista, and either 250GB or 320GB hard drives. The laptop weighs 6.3 pounds with the DVD burner and six-cell battery; the company projects a battery life of 2 hours, 30 minutes.

Pricing starts at $799; the LifeBook A1110 is available at Fujitsu's Web site and various retailers. And depending on the popularity of this model, we could potentially see swappable lids move to other Fujitsu laptops in the future.

Michelle Thatcher has been reviewing technology products for nearly a decade. Her current focus is laptop reviews, with some kitchen gadgetry and Web 2.0 thrown in for good measure.