Siemens Nixdorf attacks mobile market at entry level

The Scenic Mobile 320 has an initial street price of £1,299, plus VAT, for which you get a 166MHz MMX processor, 16Mb of memory (or 32Mb for an extra £50), a 12.1-inch display, 2.1 Gb of hard disk space, a 20-speed CD-Rom and Microsoft Word 7.0 pre-installed.

One of the 320's key selling points, says Siemens Nixdorf, is its Advanced Display System (ADS) screen, which offers better than standard entry-level notebook quality at a price below TFT.

Although details are sketchy, the company says it is planning to show off two new Pentium II notebook models at this month's Cebit in Hanover. The 510 model will have a 13.3-inch display and a 6Gb hard drive, the current industry maximum. Also featuring 6Gb capacity will be the 800 model, a replacement for the current 710, which will boast a 14.2-inch screen.

The 800 is designed as a full desktop replacement, featuring a removable keyboard and a magnesium alloy casing. Pricing for the new high end models is not fixed, but the 800 can be expected to weigh in at around £4,500.