Berlin - A boom in netbooks begun by the Asus EeePC is in the early phase as evidenced recently at IFA Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin. Producers are launching smaller, lighter and cheaper versions of notebooks, called netbooks.

The new netbooks include the Amilo Mini from Fujitsu Siemens. The notebook weighs just one kilogram and has a 9-inch display, plus Intel's N270 Atom processor, the company said. It comes in five different colours and with a transparent cover, so users can insert and display their own photographs.

Packed with either a 60 or 80 gigabyte hard drive, Bluetooth and Windows XP Home, the notebook goes on sale in October for 400 euros (570 dollars).

Its battery is supposed to last a "good four hours," said the manufacturer.

Fukato also brought a new notebook to the IFA. The 10-inch Datacask 1014a will be available from September. A version with a Linux operating system and a 60-gigabyte hard drive will cost 370 euros.

Another with an 80-gigabyte version and a Windows XP operating system will cost 400 euros. Both versions will have a 1.6 gigahertz Intel Atom N270 processor, weigh 1.25 kilogrammes and operate for four hours on a fully charged battery.

"The extreme mobility is nice. You can take it anywhere. But the real key is the price," says Juergen Rakow, CEO of Fukato.

The company also plans to release a 7-inch computer dubbed the Datacask Jupiter 0730i with a Windows CE operating system for less than 200 euros (285 dollars). The 700 gram lightweight will have a slower processor, allowing it to run for up to five hours on a full battery.

LG also plans to release its 1.2 kilogramme Netbook X110, with Bluetooth and Windows XP, for 400 euros by the end of October. LG says the 10-inch display will be illuminated with energy-saving LEDs.

It will also use an Intel Atom N270 processor. Customers can choose between white, black or pink covers and hard drives of either 80 or 120 gigabytes. A version with an integrated HSDPA module is also scheduled to go on the market at a price of 500 euros. (dpa)