A member of Fujitsu-Siemens' AMILO family, this Pi 3525-P7358 represents one part of the manufacturer's new mid-level laptops. Its model number begins Pi because it's based on an Intel processor, while other models, like the Pa 3553, use chips from AMD.

The version we tested featured an Intel Core 2 Duo processor P7350 running at 2 GHz with a 250 GB hard drive, but another version, the Pi 3525-014, featuring a slightly less powerful Core 2 Duo T5800 is also available.

Handling
Unlike the recent MacBooks, which go for a simplicity of design and a pared-back, minimalist look, Fujitsu-Siemens prefers a more sculpted look, with the different elements picked out in an elegant mixture of white and black.  The whole thing is neat enough, but has a certain robust quality that might be a bit too masculine for some.


The keyboard doesn't occupy all of the space available for it, which seems a shame.  With so much room wasted on each side, fitting a numeric keypad would have been easy.  The trackpad is also a little bit lost in all the space available, and could have been a lot larger.

A built-in webcam gives a decent image, despite a slight red tinge and a little noise.  The microphone's audio signal is affected by some background feedback which gives voices a metallic ring.

At the front of the computer, there are three mini-jacks, including one optical link, and a hybrid USB/e-SATA plug  along with two regular USB ports.  The video output for a second screen is only via DVI, and doesn't include sound.

The loudspeaker is good enough to watch a movie, but the quality is a little poor and, critically, bass sounds are weak.  Go for headphones instead.

Webcam	RJ45, e-SATA-USB
3 mini jacks and memory card reader	2 USB

Processor Power
Windows Experience Index: 3.7. CPU : 4.9 - Memory 5.3 - Graphics 4.1 - Gaming Graphics 3.7 - Hard Drive 5.3.

Note: the results in this section are very low and almost certainly the result of a malfunctioning unit.  The CPU performed very badly and struggled to achieve results worthy of a netbook.

In practice, using the machine is very slow.  Although you never have to wait too long for any one operation to complete, even simple tasks are never instantaneous,  and it can be a source of much frustration if you're in a hurry.

The results of our different tests underlined this poor performance and show that this notebook is by no means a nippy little number.  The Vista index quoted above is also less than representative of the actual performance, and rather overestimates the power of the CPU.


When reading video, we found the biggest struggle to be large HD files, and our Blu-ray test file was jerky at best.  Stick to DVD-quality video or more modest HD offerings.

Gaming
The X4500HD integrated chipset gives a little more room for manoeuvre than some of its predecessors, but it's not enough to allow you to game comfortably.  When playing Oblivion, for instance, we found we had to reduce the level of detail to the absolute minimum to get any kind of fluidity.  Strategy games and those that make less intense use of 3D will probably be a better bet.

Portability & Battery Life
Neither this notebook's bulky shape or heavy weight (3 kg) make it very easy to carry.  It's very large, and putting it netbook will show you how much more difficult carrying it around will be.

As for battery life, we ran our usual test of looping video with the screen at 100 cd/m² with sound through the headphones and it lasted just 2 hours 8 minutes, which is a far from exceptional result, especially when compared to the MacBook Pro which manages 3 hours 19 minutes with a similar-sized screen.

A very light charger, weighing just 313 g, is a more welcome feature.