Transmeta gets lift from Fujitsu

Fujitsu has imported more performance for its LifeBook P2000, adding a faster Transmeta processor to the machine.

The company announced Tuesday that it will offer a version of the notebook with Transmeta's new 867MHz Crusoe TM5800 chip.

Fujitsu will be the first to offer the new 867MHz chip in the United States, though both Fujitsu and Sony offer the processor in Japan.

Transmeta has had trouble getting its faster chips to market. Sony, for example, offers the 733MHz version of the TM5800 in its PictureBook notebooks sold in the United States. And up to now, Fujitsu has been offering an 800MHz chip in its LifeBook P2000 models. Earlier manufacturing delays with the 800MHz chip had cut into revenues and hurt some customer plans.

But Transmeta said Tuesday's announcement from Fujitsu, and plans from other companies, are evidence its operations are back on track.

Later this year, Hewlett-Packard will be the first to use the new 1GHz version of the TM5800, in its forthcoming Compaq Computer Evo Tablet PC.

Transmeta said it is moving beyond past setbacks by working to motivate the industry. Under a new initiative, labeled "Crusoe 1,000," the company will work to bring out 1,000MHz or faster chips while helping manufacturers create machines that weigh less than 1,000 grams, or 2.2 pounds, cost $1,000 or less, and deliver at least 1,000 minutes, or 16 hours, of battery life on a single charge.

The new LifeBook P2000, which pairs the 867MHz chip with a 10.6-inch screen and a CD-Rewritable/DVD combination drive, gets fairly close to some of the Crusoe 1,000 goals.

The notebook weighs 3.4 pounds and gets 3.5 hours of battery life on its internal battery and up to 14 hours with an additional battery. It will start at $1,499, Fujitsu said.