Siemens Scenic Mobile 800

A high-end notebook for special applications manufactured by Siemens in late 1998 under codename "Indi". Its parameters are really high-end in its times: Fast Pentium II processor, memory upgradeable with 4 SODIMM modules up to 512MB, 1024x768 TFT LCD screen with ATI 3D Rage Pro accelerator and detachable, wireless, battery-powered keyboard. After re-attaching the keyboard its battery was recharged. Case was made of durable alloy, not waterproof, but much more rigid than plastic. "Indi" has a special Sicrypt security system which involved chip cards to authenticate users. My unit has DVD-ROM drive in its bay - these times DVD-ROM was a very new thing. After extensive use this notebook looks very well, quality of materials used is very good.
As option, media bay could be equipped with Floppy disk drive, DVD-ROM, CD-ROM, CD writer or Zip drive.
Summing up, Scenic Mobile 800 is a good example of a high-end notebook of late-90s era.


Manufacturer Siemens / Siemens-Nixdorf

Origin Germany
Year of unit 1998/9
Year of introduction 1998?
Type Laptop, PC
CPU Intel Pentium II 300MHz
RAM 32MB (expandable with 4 66MHz SODIMMs up to 512MB (4x128MB))
Floppy Disk Optical drive or FDD in a bay
Hard Disk 6GB?
Other media DVD-ROM drive in a bay
Graphics and display: 1024x768 LCD TFT
Sound: Stereo
Keyboard and pointing device: Small PC keyboard without numeric part
Touchpad
Keyboard/touchpad detachable, wireless (IR)
OS: Windows 98

Power supply:

1 - Ground
2 - +15V DC (??), 3A

I/O:  - Serial port
 - Parallel port
 - VGA video out
 - Game port
 - Infrared
 - PS/2
 - 2xPCMCIA
 - USB
 - TV Out
 - Dock
 
 
 
 
 
 
Possible upgrades: Memory, disk, drives...
Additional peripherals:   

My unit is interesting for a few reasons. First, the protective foil have never been removed, so it diffused into the casing made of metal with porous surface. In pictures you can see how it looks like - this foil can't be removed by any means.

Second - and unfortunately it makes this computer unusable - is its password protection. The protection is called SICRYPT and is resident in BIOS. After POST, before booting, BIOS starts Sicrypt program. This program checks the SmartCard reader, then authenticates the system by authenticating card. My unit has card, but it's locked so it needs admin code to unlock.
Unfortunately no service in my area can bypass this protection, as it's not a simple ROM patching.

Here you can see IR keyboard battery. I had to removed it as it leaked.:

PDF user's guide