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List price as of Nov 21, 2005:
S$4288
S$4288
Product Summary
Good
The good: Great performance; screen has wide viewing angles; built-in DVD burner; good dual-mic array. 6.8
out of 10View score
The bad: Case and vent can get very hot; no volume control when in tablet mode.
The bottom line: It's expensive, but the Fujitsu LifeBook T4020 convertible tablet offers top-notch performance and an integrated optical drive in a lightweight case.
Read full review of the Fujitsu LifeBook T4020 »
Average User Rating
from 4 users
Very good
6.8
out of 10CNET Asia Review
Top-notch performance and a full set of features propel the LifeBook T4020 to the top of the list for tablet PCs. The powerful processor and integrated optical drive enables this tablet to be suitable for almost any computing tasks. However, all this comes with a rather hefty price tag which may restrict its use to a niche market.
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 Two modes of operation. |
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With its black cover and silver magnesium case, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4020 convertible tablet looks right at home in the conference room. Its 12.1-inch display offers just enough room for writing, and its integrated optical drive means executives won't have to sacrifice much in the way of features. That drive does add a bit of weight--if portability is your key criterion, you should look to the ThinkPad X41 Tablet, which is lighter but lacks an optical drive. But if you want a top-performing tablet that's still reasonably portable, you can't beat the Fujitsu LifeBook T4020.
Measuring 292.1 x 236.2 x 35.5mm, the Fujitsu LifeBook T4020 is roughly the same size as other 12.1-inch screen convertible tablets, such as the ThinkPad X41 Tablet and the HP Compaq tc4200. The LifeBook T4020's 1.9kg weight is nearly identical to that of the HP Compaq tc4200 and 0.3kg heavier than the ThinkPad X41 Tablet's.
Features
The 12.1-inch, 1,024x768 pixel native resolution display swivels smoothly to convert the system to tablet mode. The display was too dim for outdoor use, but indoors, the screen looked bright and had very wide viewing angles. When you switch from laptop to tablet mode, the LifeBook T4020's screen automatically adjusts from landscape to portrait, and the system parks your optical drive to protect it--two nice touches. Next to the LCD are six buttons: Power, scroll up and down, orientation, a programmable function key, and Ctrl-Alt-Del.
The LifeBook T4020's keyboard is slightly cramped and the keys are a bit shallow, but it's usable for short typing sessions. The touch pad and the scroll button are responsive. While the tethered Wacom digitizer delivered a good paper-on-pen feel, we would have liked an "eraser" on the other end. Because the LifeBook T4020 runs slightly warm, holding it clipboard-style in one hand can sometimes be uncomfortable.
 Comes with integrated optical drive. |
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The LifeBook T4020 includes a standard assortment of ports and expansion slots for a tablet. In addition to headphone and microphone jacks, you'll find VGA, FireWire, and two USB 2.0 ports (one fewer than the HP Compaq tc4200); a Type II PC Card slot; and a 3-in-1 card reader that recognizes Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and Secure Digital formats. You can connect to peripherals via Bluetooth and the Internet via modem, Gigabit Ethernet, or 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi. (A dedicated button on the front of the machine lets you easily turn the Wi-Fi on and off.) Our review unit included a hot-swappable, dual-layer multiformat DVD burner.
The Fujitsu LifeBook T4020 runs on Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005. Our test unit came with some useful software, including Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 for note-taking; a suite of Fujitsu utilities for programming function keys, security settings, and driver updates; and Softex OmniPass, which handles security passwords on your computer. We were very pleased that our unit also came with recovery discs, which are becoming increasingly rare. These were especially helpful when we neglected to click Fujitsu's setup icon (which just says ClickMe) on the desktop. We thought it was needless bloatware, but it turned out to be a utility that configures various parts of your LifeBook in vital and necessary ways. Fortunately, we were able to start over again right away.
Performance
Our Fujitsu LifeBook T4020 review unit included a low-voltage, 1.73GHz Pentium M 740 processor; a moderate 5,400rpm, 60GB hard drive; 512MB of fast 533MHz SDRAM; and an integrated Intel graphics card. With those components, the LifeBook T4020 scored well above average on CNET Labs' mobile benchmarks; in fact, the LifeBook T4020 came close to scoring the highest of all the tablets we've tested.
| BAPCo MobileMark2002 performance rating (longer bars indicate faster performance) |
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The LifeBook T4020's battery clocked in at 4 hours 9 minutes, which puts it only 3 minutes above the average for all tablets and 47 minutes behind the HP Compaq tc4200. Neither tablet could best the ThinkPad X41 Tablet's 5 hours 25 minute battery life. While 4 hours of battery life is quite respectable, power-hungry users may want to consider purchasing a second battery for the LifeBook T4020's swappable bay; Fujitsu claims it will give you a total of 8.5 hours of battery life (CNET did not test this battery).
| BAPCo MobileMark2002 battery life in minutes (longer bars indicate longer battery life) |
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Service And Support
Fujitsu LifeBook has a one-year international warranty with second-year and third-year local warranty. At Fujitsu's support Web site, LifeBook owners can register their warranty online as well as download the latest drivers. For simple problems, the company offers a helpline and email address for troubleshooting. Should the unit require further diagnosis or repair, the customer will have to send the unit to any service center worldwide during the first year. Subsequently, Fujitsu will only honor the notebook's warranty for the subsequent two years at the original country of purchase. For users who use their laptops for time-critical work with no margin for downtime, it must be noted that most Fujitsu service centers in Asia Pacific operate only during office hours. There is no option to upgrade the warranty terms.
Rate It Now
User Reviews
Poor aftersales services from Fujitsu
Jan 15, 2006Rating: 3 out of 10 (Poor)
Pros: Stable computers
Cons: Horrendous aftersales services
Opinion:
After spending so much on the Tablet, one would expect Fujitsu to provide good aftersales services considering its parent company is from Japan and that their core values emphasises on customer care. However, this is not the case! After bad customer services, 2 official feedbacks were sent but no replies from Fujitsu. Shows how much they care about their customers (contrary to their core values?).
Good Com! After sales service????
Jan 8, 2006Rating: 6 out of 10 (Good)
Pros: Stable compact reliable
Cons: After sales technical services needs revamp!
Opinion:
Bought the T4010, the precesor of T4020 and have been extremely happen with the system as it is reliable and stable. However, the technical and aftersales services from Fujitsu need improvement, actually need a total revamp. The product originates from Japan, you would think that the services will live up to expectation. However, personally, I have 2 bad experiences, 1 from AsiaPAC where they attended to me and suddenly left me waiting at the counter for 30min with no assistance. 2nd was ay NgeeAnn City where the staff was not at all polite and failed to provide any technical assistance.
So even if the system is stable and reliabe, do consider the aftersales services if you are those that require them....cheers
Whoahhhh
Oct 23, 2005Rating: 9 out of 10 (Spectacular)
Pros:
Cons:
Opinion:
Tested but did not buy yet, but this is the only tablet that I would have as a replacement for my LG tablet. Looks sexy and light, too. The movement and feel of the pen on the screen are accurate. Gotta have this one soon.
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