The good: Attractive display; decent battery life; corporate-level security hardware; full-size keyboard; plenty of ports, including serial and parallel.

The bad: Slow Photoshop performance with 1GB of RAM; lacks external volume controls; tinny speakers.

The bottom line: The well-rounded Fujitsu LifeBook E8410 gives corporate users a broad feature set, enterprise-level security, and decent performance and battery life.

Read full review of the Fujitsu LifeBook E8410 »

By Michelle Thatcher
Oct 1, 2007

The midsize Fujitsu LifeBook E8410 is by no means flashy, but the laptop has a lot to offer business users, starting with a thorough feature set that includes nearly every port and connection a business user could need, plus serious data security that includes a smart card reader and a Trusted Platform Module. When it comes to performance, the LifeBook E8410 matches that of comparable systems from Lenovo, with one exception: Our review unit's 1GB of RAM held it back on our Photoshop CS2 test (an upgrade to 2GB from Fujitsu is included as an option). Price-wise, the LifeBook E8410 costs more than a similarly configured Lenovo ThinkPad T61--though the latter lacks some ports and makes you choose between a smart card reader and an ExpressCard slot. And buyers who don't need such a robust feature set can save even more money with the Lenovo 3000 N200. But corporations that need enterprise-level features and security would do well to consider the fully stocked Fujitsu LifeBook E8410.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design

The LifeBook E8410 is all business black on the outside, but opening the notebook reveals a silvery-white interior. With a magnesium lid, steel hinges, spill-resistant keyboard, and shock-mounted hard drive, the LifeBook E8410 seems solid enough to handle the knocks and bumps of everyday business life. Though its case size is very similar to Fujitsu's consumer-oriented LifeBook A6030, the LifeBook E8410 weighs a few grams less than its sibling and is among the lightest midsize laptops we've seen.

Our LifeBook E8410's 15.4 inch widescreen display featured a fairly standard 1,280 x 800 native resolution; you can increase the resolution to 1,400 x 1,050. The screen's glossy finish successfully walks the line between impressive color and excess reflection. Our review unit also included a 1.3-megapixel Webcam for videoconferencing; opting out of the Webcam reduces the laptop's price.

Features

The keyboard on the LifeBook E8410 is full-size and comfortable to use. Fujitsu offers two mousing configurations, either touchpad only or touchpad plus pointing stick. Our review unit included just the touchpad, but still had two sets of mouse buttons; they didn't affect the laptop's usability, they just looked strange without the accompanying quick point. The bottom set of mouse buttons frames a tiny fingerprint reader for storing Web passwords and logging onto your computer or a network. The touchpad itself was functional, if small (2.6 inches by 1.5 inches). Above the keyboard sit five buttons that can be programmed to launch the application of your choice, an appreciated extra particularly on a buttoned-up business system. Also above the keyboard sits a 3-inch-long black-and-white LCD status display that takes the place of the multiple bright LED status lights typically found on a laptop--a useful feature that cuts down on distraction when you're working. Rounding out the package, the laptop has a Wi-Fi on/off switch on the front lip. Unsurprising for a business system, the LifeBook E8410 lacks any external media controls--we'd have liked at least a volume wheel--and its speakers emit tinny, weak sounds.

The Fujitsu LifeBook E8410 includes every port a worker could possibly need, including legacy serial and parallel ports for businesses using older or specialized peripherals. The system includes two sets of stacked USB ports, one pair on the laptop's left edge and one pair on the back; their distribution helps cut down on cord crowding. Built on Intel's Centrino Pro platform, the LifeBook E8410 includes the latest 802.11a/g/n wireless, but 3G/HSDPA is conspicuously absent; users who want cellular connectivity will have to rely on a PC Card or ExpressCard radio. Corporate buyers will be pleased to know that the LifeBook E8410 piles on corporate-level security measures, including not only a fingerprint reader but also a smart card slot and an internal Trusted Platform Module.

Performance And Battery Life

On CNET Labs' benchmarks, the LifeBook E8410 performed within 5 percent of similarly configured systems, such as the Lenovo 3000 N200 on our Multitasking and iTunes tests. When it came to Photoshop CS2, though, the LifeBook E8410 trailed far behind the others, most likely due to its lone gigabyte of RAM (those other systems came configured with 2GB). In our anecdotal use, we had no problem with typical work (surfing the Web, typing documents) and making quick photo touch-ups with Vista's built-in image editor--and that was without disabling the Aero glass translucent effects. Doubling the LifeBook E8410's RAM from Fujitsu to match competitive systems is money well spent if you plan to run programs more intensive than the typical Web browser and word processor.







The Fujitsu LifeBook E8410's eight-cell battery lasted 2 hours 27 minutes on our taxing DVD drain test. That's pretty good for a midsize laptop, though the Lenovo 3000 N200's comparable battery held out 37 minutes longer. Our DVD battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.

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.

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