Fujitsu LifeBook U1010 (Intel Processor A110 800MHZ, 1GB RAM)
CNET Editors' Rating
The first generation of UMPCs were more technological showcases than consumer-ready products. High prices and poor battery life simply did not justify replacing a full-sized ultraportable with a pint-sized device, regardless of the fact that the latter could run a full-fledged operating system. This changed when the Kohjisha SA1F00 was introduced at a very attractive price point of just over
Announced at the Fujitsu Forum in May, the LifeBook U1010 (formerly known as the LifeBook FMV-U8240) is the Japanese maker's first UMPC to hit the Asia-Pacific market. Barely larger than a paperback novel, we take a closer look to see if this UMPC has mass appeal.
Upside: When the pre-production unit of the LifeBook U1010 first arrived at the office, everyone wanted to hold it. Though from pictures it may have seemed a little thick, believe us when we say it fits just right in one hand. The screen can be rotated like a convertible tablet PC, though the display is of the touchscreen variety rather than an active digitizer screen.
For such a small 5.6-inch portable, we were surprised to find it exceptionally feature-packed. There is an integrated Webcam located at the top of the LCD together with a fingerprint scanner at the side. Instead of trying to fit a tiny touchpad in the keyboard, a thumb trackstick and mouse buttons are located on the hinge, giving portable console gamers a familiar feel. This LifeBook offers a full set of network connectivity options, from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to an Ethernet port using a supplied adapter. However, some Asia-Pacific regions may distribute different configurations which exclude Bluetooth connectivity.
Like the Sony Vaio VGN-UX38GN and Asus R2H, it has only a single USB 2.0 port. However, the LifeBook U1010 makes up for it by integrating a CompactFlash slot and an SD card reader on its petite chassis. A nice touch is the keyboard LED lights which can be activated at the touch of a button for use in dark environments.
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Downside: Due to its size, it will be unreasonable to expect a full-size keyboard on a UMPC. While touch-typing is definitely out, two-finger and one-hand input are still possible. Just don't say we didn't warn you if your hand turns into a claw after trying to write a 1,000-word essay on the LifeBook U1010.
Sad to say, one of the pitfalls of the first-generation UMPCs was their weak battery life, a factor which still plagues this LifeBook. With around 3 hours of runtime between charges on its standard two-cell battery, do not expect all-day computing with this baby, especially if you like your Wi-Fi network. Fortunately, there is a four-cell option which bumps the uptime to around 6 hours, though you will have to compromise with additional bulk and weight. The Kohjisha SA1F00 may have a slower processor, but despite its larger 7-inch screen it still manages up to 5 hours on its standard battery.
Outlook: Though still not cheap enough for most consumers to consider as a complement to their existing notebooks, the LifeBook U1010 is an excellent companion for those who need a full-fledged operating system while on the move. However, its poor battery life on the standard cell certainly reduces its mobility factor. The extended four-cell battery is definitely a must if you want to take this on the plane.
About the author
Tracking laptop and PC trends since 2005, Darius Chang may have been knee deep in bits and bytes but is certainly not a binary person. Under that big and soft exterior holds a marshmallow core which dotes on his god-daughters and nephew. Suspected of ADD, his interests span disparate fields such as sustainability studies, diving, sports, politics, etc. A true jack of all trades, but master of one (maybe two).
Latest comments
Pros: 3 types of user mode
Cons: HDD capacity is not enough
Summary: Small, attractive
Good to use as second pc
Pros: Compact, Lots of Features
Cons: Vista, No Firewire
Summary: Excellent portable!
I just bought this in Hong Kong a week ago. I was very impressed the moment I saw it in the store. It had exactly what I was looking for in a portable computer. It was small, light, and it ran Windows. Whatever software I had on my desktop, I could run on this, as well. The U1010 is nicely equipped. It has an SD/CF reader, USB2.0, headphone/mic, wireless/lan, and a vga adapter. It's missing an IEEE1394 port, and this version doesn't have 3G (the current U1010 does). Vista is a horrible OS for this unit. Even when I switched to the Windows Classic theme, and disabled most of the services and startup items, it still performed sluggishly. I now have Windows XP Tablet Edition, and the U1010 now performs beautifully. Windows takes less than 3 minutes to boot to the desktop versus the ~10 min crawl for Vista. With XP, video and audio play smoothly without any detectable choppiness.
Pros: great feature set, reasonably priced for feature set and form factor
Cons: Performance, battery life, start up time and fan noise
Summary: Picked up U1010 in HK and disappointed with performance
Perhaps I was being unreasonable, but I had high expectations for this generation of UMPCs. The device's feature set is great and it operates as advertised. I held high hopes that this would be the device to consolidate my many gadgets. Unfortunately the performance of the device leaves much to be desired. Start up time from a cold boot or hibernation is extremely slow. Performance while multi tasking is sluggish and you find yourself staring at the Windows Vista rotation "wait" circle much of the time. I was especially frustrated by the device's inability to consistently stream video over WiFi. The video freezes often and there are sync issues between audio and video streams. My Archos 604Wifi is able to accomplish a steady video stream and video/audio sync. The battery life is about 3 hours. I haven't been able to find any shops that stock the extended life battery, but that should improve the longevity of the device to an acceptable time.
Pros: Almost everything (if you are looking for a UMPC)
Cons: Get the ext batt...you also have to intall the drivers yourself
Summary: Sold Out Everywhere....
It was sold out in Hong Kong. It is now sold out in Singapore with stocks only coming in Sept. I believe it is almost sold out in Malaysia too.... I hunted high and low and managed to find one unit...I own one now...it is awesome! I thing I wasn't too happy about is the need to install ALL the drivers yourself from the CD in order to get full functionality. With my UX, most of it was already installed and could be recovered from the recovery disk and ready to go....with the U1010, if you recover from a format, you WILL need to reinstall ALL the Fujitsu drivers and unilities from their CD...keep it handy and make sure you already have a USD DVD/CD Rom handy when you get one of these....
Pros: Everything good as UMPC except Cons described below
Cons: no 3G, not so long standard battery life, Vista (if installed with this junk OS)
Summary: SOLD OUT MAN!!!
Superior build quality, almost perfect design (for UMPC), Very reasonable price. It's SOLD OUT in Hong Kong, and here you have to preorder as it is SOLD OUT!!! Need I say more!!! Looks like other UMPC manufacturers will have to wake up or lose market share.
Pros: Form factor (USEABLE KEYBOARD!), Size/Weight, BT, WiFi
Cons: Not possible to upgrade Ram to 2 Gb (Unlike Q1 Ultra), Recommend use with Extended Battery
Summary: Awesome!
Who says there isn't Bluetooth? hah!...and 1Gb Ram too.... I believe that it would be a simple process to swap out the Hard Drive for a 60Gb one too. I did this for my old UX50 which was a much more difficult process. Its a lot more easy to access the HDD on the Fujitsu. The extended battery is not an issue for me. I would get one anyway. I only with I could update the Ram to 2gb...1 is ok....2 would be closer to perfect.
Pros: mini tablet PC like design. adequate 512 RAM, runs windows XP
Cons: processor should be 1Ghz!!!
Summary: A reminiscent from the past!
This PC reminds me of Sony Clie UX50 PDA. i like the overall design and functions, but i was disappointed to the slower processor. still Sony Vaio UX17Gp UMPC has the fastest CPU at this moment. for those who complain for the RAM. let me remind you that this is only a portable device to brought you basic productivity, not a multitasking powerhuse like notebooks and PCs. but the slower processor disappoints me for playing more exciting games faster.
Pros: Everything you ever wanted in a UMPC
Cons: No bluetooth, no built-in Ethernet Port
Summary: This is what a UMPC should be like
UMPC is still a PC, not a PDA, they should stick to WinXP OS, not WM5/6. If you want to use WM5/6 stick to a Dopod or O2. Real work can be done with this UMPC, since it has a proper keyboard. Other UMPC manufacturers should actually take note, without the keyboard, the UMPC is just another expensive toy. If the price is close to the retail price in Japan. This UMPC will actually be a very good buy.
Pros: Form Factor is good
Cons: Running Windows XP Pro but only 512 RAM
Summary: Looks Good but Lack Some Zest
Sometimes I wonder using the Windows OS is the Achilles heel of UMPC because of the rated 4 hours of usage (and it will be lesser than that in practical real world scenario). Yes it uses Intel Chip and it is really a small PC by the features but is it really useful? Practical experience tells me that 512mb of ram is just barely enough for Windows XP Pro (say...what happened to Vista?) I love the keyboard...from the pictures it is close to those mini keyboards that can be found at Sim Lim Square. And I also think the 20GB storage is the way to go but it would be better if it is a flash drive rather than a conventional hard disk drive. This device resembles the Dopod U1000 in terms of form factor, tablet format and close the the 5" screen. No doubt the Fujitsu will be a couple of thousands of dollars...and U1000 is 2K retail price. The only difference is the OS...Windows XP vs Windows Pocket PC..but is it important? This is my opinion...UMPC concept it to bring mobile computing to a portable form and not necessarily must adhere to the OS that it uses. In that sense, I feel that Pocket PC delivers a better bang per buck than XP and it uses much lesser resources. Plus the fact that PPC can be on all the time whereas PC OS has to be put on hibernation mode. UMPC has its advantages but I think the best way forward for UMPC is to have an OS that is closer to the Pocket PC rather than a full fledge OS.
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