IP: Fujutsu Lifebook P review

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> Date: Fri, 01 Feb 2002 19:43:51 -0800
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> From: Dave Crocker <dave () tribalwise com>
>
> Dave,
>
> I just got the new Fujitsu Lifebook P and like it enough to offer comments:
>
> Most "small" laptops in the US focus on being thin and lightweight.  The 
> Fujitsu focuses on having a small footprint, which is exactly why I want 
> it.  Japan has many such machines, but the US laptop marketing engine 
> believes that Americans will not tolerate the reductions in screen and 
> keyboard.  Indeed, laptop reviewers always chastise such devices for their 
> limitations.  The reviewers entirely miss the reason for such a device; so 
> they evaluate it in terms of desktop-replacement "laptops".
>
> The machine uses the new Transmeta 800Mhz chip.  With an extended main 
> battery and a second battery in the multi-purpose bay, they claim up to 14 
> hours of use. With only the main battery, I am getting less than half 
> that, but still seem to be able to go 4-5 hours.  (Using a 802.11 wireless 
> card cuts that down, of course.)  Performance is just fine for my word- 
> network- and photo- work.
>
> The machine is quite well engineered, both in design and -- from my 
> experience with outside of the device -- execution.  An example of the 
> design thinking is the SXVGA port.  It uses the new VGA mini-connector, 
> which requires a dongle to map up to the usual VGA connector.  Such 
> connectors usually are a pain to use because the connector is very small 
> properly aligning the plug tends to be a stochastic process.  The P has 
> the place for the plug recessed, so that the plug slides right in, easily 
> and quickly.
>
> The screen is 10.6" wide and 7" high -- US small laptops are roughly 10 x 
> 10 -- so say goodbye to problems with coach seatbacks squishing your 
> screen.  The width gives the P a ratio of 15:9, almost full movie 
> width.  Display quality is excellent, though the natural settings require 
> fighter-pilot visual acuity.  My post-50 eyes need fonts to be 125% or 
> better. Indeed, that multi-purpose bay comes with a DVD/CD-RW device and 
> and it is quite good when playing a DVD movie.  (In spite of seeing the 
> movie Black Robe twice, recently, playing it on the Fujitsu showed some 
> subtleties I had missed.)  I have not tried to software surround sound 
> utility, but the published reviews for it are quite good.
>
> The keyboard is shrunk.  Some reviewers complain about this, of 
> course.  And, yes, it does take some adjusting.  However the keys have a 
> solid, predictable feel and I am not finding that adjustment to be 
> onerous.  My typing error rate, is always terrible, but it has quickly 
> gotten to my normal bad.  And, of course, you can judge for yourself, 
> since I'm writing this note with it.
>
> I've now done a presentation through a projector, using the P, and it was 
> a curious challenge.  It did not just plug and play.  Alas, I messed with 
> the control utility when I first got the machine, and might have messed 
> things up.  The utility does not quite explain things intuitively, but it 
> is powerful.  It permits an external display (and, separately, an 
> SVHS-connected television) to act as a clone or as a separate display 
> space.  And you can choose any of the displays as "primary".
>
> Transmeta is having problems with chip production, so the volumes are 
> quite low, and I had to wait a couple of months for my P.  I hope they fix 
> the problems.  This machine is a winner.
>
> d/
>
> ----------
> Dave Crocker <mailto:dave () tribalwise com>
> TribalWise, Inc. <http://www.tribalwise.com>
> tel +1.408.246.8253; fax +1.408.273.6464

For archives see:
http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/