Date: Wed, 16 May 2007 15:56:55 -0700 (PDT) From: David Chien <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: new Mini-Laptop from Fujitsu - FMV-U8240 / summary of current mini-notebook categories
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/news/pr/archives/month/2007/20070516-01.html http://www.fmworld.net/biz/fmv/product/hard/blb0704/u8240/ Ah, a mini-laptop with a decently small form factor, 5.6" widescreen, and a built-in keyboard at 580gr. Similar to the Kohjisha SA1F00 7" widescreen mini-laptop, but smaller and lighter by almost 50%. Not quite as small as the OQO or Flipstart minis, which have keyboards that are merely buttons rather than keys. Downsides include lack of built-in VGA port, no PCMCIA slot (only CF) for wireless modem cards, and maximum vertical resolution of 600 pixels (768 would have been ideal). (as a comparison, the Kohjisha has the VGA port, but has a lower resolution screen, and only CF slot) thankfully, at least the Wifi is built-in (unlike the even smaller, keyboardless 350gr Raon Vega mini-palmtop), and it's at the size where it can fit into a pants pocket just like the old Librettos. (The Kohjisha is a bit too long and wide.) But whether these laptops are actually responsive enough to do much remains to be seen. Certainly, most laptops running anything less than a 1Ghz Mobile Pentium processor can be considered to be quite slow -- good for just the basic emails, web browsing, GPS Navigation and word processing. 2Ghz single core or any dual/quad/8 core processor laptop is my recommendation as a minimum for any sort of video editing, MP3 conversion, etc. application today. Within their limited role as data entry devices and GPS navigation units, the Fujitsu should be a decent platform for such. --- Four categories of mini-laptops have appeared: 1) Small and compact, almost PDA sized, touch-screen only with no keyboard. eg. Samsung Q1 series, etc. 2) Small and compact, PDA sized, button keyboards. eg. OQO, Flipstart, Sony UX 3) Small and compact, 1lbs category, usable keyboard. eg. Fujitsu FMV-U8240 4) Small and compact, 2lbs category, usable keyboard. eg. Kohjisha SA1, Sony TX series On the boundary between mini-laptops and normal laptops include models from Panasonic such as the W/Y/R series of 2-3lbs smaller-sized notebooks and the Sony G1 carbon fiber notebook at <2lbs, albeit at a price that is in the $2-3k range (vs. the above which is in the $1-1.5k range). ---- Thus, for me, the Fujitsu could be a good replacement for the Libretto 110 I have -- adding XP, higher resolution, lighter, USB port to what I have now - in a pocketable mini-laptop. Yet, with Intel aiming to release even more powerful, lower-powered processors for the 2008-2009 years to target the ultra-mobile market, it remains to be seen whether the Fujitsu is the 'best' of the breed for the next year or so, or merely the first ultra-mobile among many good ones yet to come. Nevertheless, it is a good sign to see that the legacy that was started by Toshiba is expanding with new mini-laptops this year. adorable toshiba libretto The latest news and information for the Toshiba Libretto owner. http://www.silverace.com/libretto/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Moody friends. Drama queens. Your life? Nope! - their life, your story. Play Sims Stories at Yahoo! Games. http://sims.yahoo.com/
