TechRadar Verdict
This Netbook is a good all-rounder, but just does little to stand out from the crowd
Pros
- +
Bright screen
- +
Customisable lid
- +
Decent performance
Cons
- -
Small keyboard
- -
Changeable lid looks quite cheap
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There some of the other Netbooks feature a tiny toy-like design, the Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Mini UI 3520 (£280 inc. VAT) looks like a scaled-down laptop.
Interchangeable coloured lids set it apart from the other Netbooks. You can even buy a clear one – letting you insert your favourite photographs or stickers for a truly distinctive look.
It's a shame the lid simply clips over the existing cover, however, as it feels slightly cheap.
Smaller screen
With an 8.9-inch display, it's one of the smaller Netbooks, but it doesn't feel it. The chassis is bulky in the hand, in stark contrast to the 10.2-inch Eee PC S101, and the 1.2kg weight is more than some of its rivals.
We found the display itself bright in everyday use, with an average 1024 x 600-pixel resolution. It's powered by Intel's GMA 950 chipset – so you'll find adequate performance for playing back films.
The Amilo Mini's design falls apart slightly when it comes to the keyboard. It's not a bad board – proving responsive and firmly attached – but it does take some getting used to. The keys don't stretch to the very edge of the chassis, so are not as large as they could have been.
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Standard spec
Unfortunately, we were unable to test battery life on our review machine, as we had a pre-production sample. However, with an Intel Atom processor and a similar specification to its rivals, it's realistic to expect a battery life of around three hours from the standard battery.
Storage space comes in the form of a 60GB hard drive, so there's plenty of room for most files, photographs and applications. The extra space over SSD-based rivals is welcome, however, as this system runs Windows XP Home, rather than the simpler Linux operating system found on many Netbooks.
Overall, the Amilo Mini UI 3520 proved a usable and likeable device. However, at this price, it simply lacks anything that makes it stand clearly out from the opposition, bar the coloured lid.
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