It seems like the premium brands have set their sights on the budget-minded consumer. Like the ThinkPad Z60m, the Fujitsu LifeBook C1320D possesses several high-end features and a 15.4-inch widescreen display, yet manages to keep its starting price at US$1,149 (S$1935.89). According to the Japanese notebook maker, this LifeBook is targeted at value-minded small and medium businesses, as well as students and teachers who want a slim, full-featured, high-performance notebook on a modest budget. Already available online in the US, this notebook will be launched in Asia-Pacific before the end of October. ...

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First Take

It seems like the premium brands have set their sights on the budget-minded consumer. Like the ThinkPad Z60m, the Fujitsu LifeBook C1320D possesses several high-end features and a 15.4-inch widescreen display, yet manages to keep its starting price at US$1,149 (S$1935.89). According to the Japanese notebook maker, this LifeBook is targeted at value-minded small and medium businesses, as well as students and teachers who want a slim, full-featured, high-performance notebook on a modest budget. Already available online in the US, this notebook will be launched in Asia-Pacific before the end of October.

Upside: Using the latest Intel 915GM chipset and Pentium M 1.73GHz processor in the entry model, this notebook is comparable spec-wise to the top-performing Fujitsu LifeBook N3510. The LifeBook C1320D comes with serial and parallel ports to connect to older peripherals, and yet has its eyes on future expandability with both a PCMIA slot and the latest ExpressCard slot. Combined with a 15.4-inch widescreen display to enhance the visual experience of DVD movies, this laptop is ready for work and play. The Fujitsu also includes the Dolby Headphone utility which produces virtual surround sound through normal stereo headphones. With a 4.5-hour claimed battery life, people who like to work outdoors will not run out of power in a hurry with the LifeBook.

Downside: Though it's described as a thin-and-light by Fujitsu, the C1320D is a hefty 2.9kg which makes one think twice about carrying it on the daily commute. Coupled with the lack of security features, corporate users may shy away from this offering. Making DVD movies would require a US$90 (S$151.64) upgrade to a DVD dual layer writer. The use of a non-transflective display also means that you will not get the optimum screen brightness for outdoor use. Lastly, those who had hoped to use this notebook for gaming will be disappointed with the integrated graphics chip which weeps in agony if the latest games are thrown at it.

Outlook: Priced as an entry-level machine, the C1320D will appeal to consumers who appreciate Fujitsu's build quality as well as the added entertainment aspects such as the widescreen display and Dolby Headphone utility. With legacy ports, a port replicator option and an ExpressCard slot, backward and future compatibility to peripherals will also be a breeze with the LifeBook. However, the use of an outdated screen, integrated graphics card and the lack of security features may hamper its popularity, particularly among business users. Do check with us for a full review soon.

It seems like the premium brands have set their sights on the budget-minded consumer. Like the ThinkPad Z60m, the Fujitsu LifeBook C1320D possesses several high-end features and a 15.4-inch widescreen display, yet manages to keep its starting price at US$1,149 (S$1935.89). According to the Japanese notebook maker, this LifeBook is targeted at value-minded small and medium businesses, as well as students and teachers who want a slim, full-featured, high-performance notebook on a modest budget. Already available online in the US, this notebook will be launched in Asia-Pacific before the end of October.

Upside: Using the latest Intel 915GM chipset and Pentium M 1.73GHz processor in the entry model, this notebook is comparably to the Fujitsu LifeBook N3510 which was a top performer. The LifeBook C1320D comes with serial and parallel ports to connect to older peripherals, and yet has its eyes on future expandability with both a PCMIA slot and the latest ExpressCard slot. Combined with a 15.4-inch widescreen display to enhance the visual experience of DVD movies, this laptop is ready for work and play. The Fujitsu also includes the Dolby Headphone utility which produces virtual surround sound through normal stereo headphones. With a 4.5-hour claimed battery life, people who like to work outdoors will not run out of power in a hurry with the LifeBook.

Downside: Though it's described as a thin-and-light by Fujitsu, the C1320D is a hefty 2.9kg which makes one think twice about carrying it on the daily commute. Coupled with the lack of security features, corporate users may shy away from this offering. Making DVD movies would require a US$90 (S$151.64) upgrade to a DVD dual layer writer. The use a non-transflective display also means that you will not get the optimum screen brightness for outdoor use. Lastly, those who had hoped to use this notebook for gaming will be disappointed with the integrated graphics chip which weeps in agony if the latest games are thrown at it.

Outlook: Priced as an entry-level machine, the C1320D will appeal to consumers who appreciate Fujitsu's build quality as well as the added entertainment aspects such as the widescreen display and Dolby Headphone utility. With legacy ports, a port replicator option and an ExpressCard slot, backward and future compatibility to peripherals will also be a breeze with the LifeBook. However, the use of an outdated screen, integrated graphics card and the lack of security features may hamper its popularity, particularly among business users. Do check with us for a full review soon.

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Fujitsu LifeBook C1320D (Pentium M Processor 740 1.73GHz, 256MB RAM)

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mejustmenob...

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Funnily...

Sep 29, 2005

Rating: 5 out of 10 (Average)
Pros: 
Cons: 
Opinion:
I'd prefer Acer, less warranty, but more performance. And lighter.

 

Plain looks, killer performance!

Sep 3, 2005

Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros: 
Cons: 
Opinion:
First thing to note about this notebook is its rather unspectacular looks. You'll need to look deeper than that to fully appreciate what this baby can do. The standard 512MB of ram is woefully inadequate, but upgrading it to a full 1024MB (at a cost of approx A$120) unleashes great performance. Who says integrated graphics are lousy? Not from my experience that's for sure. I run Microsoft Flight SIM 2004 Century of Flight on FULL settings with the highest-quality rendering, texture, etc., and it consistently maintains a frame rate of greater than 30 FPS. Battery life is claimed to be up to 6 hours, but realistically speaking, you're looking at more like 3.5 to 4 hours with maximum brightness and running your DVDs and doing high processing loads. DEFINITELY much better than the other notebooks you find nowadays, in my opinion. I personally think it's great value for money since for A$2,299, I get a Centrino, Sonoma and DOTHAN, with ... Read more

 

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