Fujitsu U810 Ultraportable Tablet

Full review of Fujitsu U810 Ultraportable Tablet

Laptop + Ultra Mobile PC + Tablet = Fujitsu LifeBook U810. Think this mini-sub-tablet Ultra Mobile PC laptop as the Swiss army knife of ultra portable computing. This little thing has a functional keyboard that can flip the screen that becomes a tablet with full touch-screen capabilities. Weighing only 1.56lbs and measuring 6.75-in x 6-in x 1-in, the Lifebook U810 is certainly is absolutely tiny, especially when you consider it�s a fully Vista-capable computer running inside.

The U810 can turn into 3 setups: laptop, tablet, or UMPC modes. Swivel and flip the screen over, and the device can be used as a UMPC (Ultra mobile portable computer). You can pull out the stylus and use it as a portable tablet. For a tiny machine, expect a tiny 56-key QWERTY keyboard that you can (barely) use if you find you need to type as a laptop. As you may expect, due to the size, its missing a lot key connection ports like: VGA output, expansion slots, and a half dozen USB ports. Instead, youll get one USB 2.0 port, SD media slot AND Compact Flash slots on either sides, a connection port to connect a Fujitsus Ethernet dongle and accessories. The remaining ports include the charger, headphone and microphone ports.

Intels mobile A110 processor found in other mobile devices (Smart phones and UMPCS) and runs at a modest 800MHz coupled with the Intel 945 chipset. Also includes 1GB of DDR2 RAM and a 4200RPM 40GB hard drive. The 5.6-inch LCD screen (1024 x 600) is a sharp little glossy display with accurate touch-screen functionality that gives the imot plenty of flexibility to work with. Feel free to swivel and rotate the screen. Thankfully, the U810 is able to offer 802.11a/b/g WiFi, a finger-print access, and built-in webcam.

Performance

The Fujitsu comes pre-installed with Microsoft Vista. What does that mean? The load times are downright atrocious, taking up to 2 minutes to get to the desktop screen when powering up. It�s so slow that by the time Vista is fully ready to use, you already feel like the computer has already drained half the battery. However, things run much better as we noticed no slow down in web browsing and general desktop usages. The Fujitsu U810 managed only an average 3 hours of battery time running mixed video, web browsing, and data entry. Thats very disappointing for a machine of this size.

Conclusion

All all in one portable machine designed to offer mobile users to work, its certainly not perfect. With the lack of some ports and poor performance, its not ideal for users who demand power. Rather, its designed for casual users who need more than just a PDA. For those looking for a versatile portable computer, this is worth it. But if you dont mind having something bigger, go for a real tablet PC or ultra-portable laptop.

Fujitsu U810 Ultraportable Tablet Technical Specifications

• Processor Intel A110 800MHz
• Memory 1GB DDR2
• Harddrive 40GB
• OS Windows Vista Premium
• Weight 1.2
• Screen 5.6 inches
• Screen resolution 1024x600
• Graphic Card Mobile Intel Express 945GM
• Battery Life 3

Pros

• Amazingly small
• Unique swivel and fold design for versatile applications
• Best-in-class UMPC keyboard
• Tablet and touch-screen capabilities
• Well thought-out ergonomics and controls
• WiFi, Bluetooth, fingerprint scanner, and webcam come standard
• Quality materials and build finish
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Cons

• Sluggish performance
• Abysmal startup time
• Runs on Vista
• Too tiny to type comfortably
• Love it or hate it styling
• Obtrusive battery
• Poor battery life
• Lack of ports and expandability
• No Ethernet port built-in