Fujitsu developing external notebook 3D booster

Fujitsu is developing a graphics adapter that would give ultraportable or budget notebooks a visual upgrade, according to leaked images from a presentation. Not unlike the ASUS XG Station, the AMILO GraphicBooster would plug into a notebook and receive the performance of a faster video chipset without having to tote a larger system. It also saves energy by allowing users to drop back to integrated graphics just by removing the box, Fujitsu claims in its notes.

While most details are hidden, the GraphicBooster is known to use one of AMD's ATI Radeon chipsets for performance and uses an unknown technology known as XGP to strike a balance between raw performance and speed. The AMILO hub is more efficient but also more than four times faster in synthetic 3D tests such as 3DMark06. It will also include both DVI and HDMI video out for connecting the upgraded notebook to an HDTV or PC. The computer interface is also unknown, though the demands of graphics point to ExpressCard as the most likely choice.

A ship date and a price are also unavailable. The existence of new ATI-branded technology suggests it belongs to a future Mobility Radeon HD 4000-series update, putting a launch towards the later half of the year when updates to AMD's portable video lineup are most likely to be available.