Fujitsu on Monday became the latest Japanese computer manufacturer to announce plans to incorporate startup Transmeta's new Crusoe microprocessors in notebook PCs.

Fujitsu will use the 533MHz version of Transmeta's TM5400 Crusoe processor in two new series of notebook PCs scheduled to on sale in Japan in early November, the Tokyo-based company said in a statement.

The Transmeta chip, which boasts low power consumption as one of its main benefits, will power two new models in Fujitsu's Loox S-series and two in the Loox T-series. They will boast a battery life of up to 8 hours thanks to the incorporation of the new processor, Fujitsu saidAdditionally, the new models will feature 128M bytes of main memory, a 10G-byte hard drive and built-in adapters that allow them to connect to the Internet through DDI Pocket's PHS (personal handyphone system) wireless network at 64K bps (bits per second).

Equipped with an 8.8-inch TFT (thin film transistor) LCD (liquid crystal display) capable of displaying Wide XGA (1,024-by-512 pixels) resolution, the Loox S-series devices weigh 980 grams and have an A5 (243-by-151 millimeters) footprint. Fujitsu is positioning the Loox S-series as a mobile communications tool.

The Loox T-series, meanwhile, will be positioned as mobile multimedia computers, and feature a larger 10-inch display capable of Wide SXGA (1,280-by-600 pixels) resolution as well as a built-in DVD-ROM drive.

The Loox S-series will go on sale in Japan Nov. 11 priced at around 160,000 yen (US$1,490), while the Loox T-series scheduled to hit the streets Nov. 3 at around 210,000 yen. Both will get their public debuts at the CEATEC show that kicks off in Tokyo on October 3.

International launch plans were not disclosed.

Fujitsu is the second Japanese notebook manufacturer this month to announce it will use Crusoe chips in some of its products. Earlier in September Sony Corp. announced plans to use the chip in a new device to be released in October.