Digital Trends

Fujitsu LifeBook P7010D May 2nd, 2005 | by Ian Bell

Features and Design

Anyone researching ultra-portable laptops knows that most systems will be based on only a couple chipset possibilities. The LifeBook P7010 for example uses the Intel 855GME, which is the very same chipset used in the Sony VAIO T series and Toshiba Libretto laptop systems. So you can pretty much expect nearly identical features when comparing all of these systems. What the companies do have control over is design and a couple small customizations the company may choose to add. For example Sony has added Bluetooth capabilities to their T-series while Fujitsu has added a finger print scanner to their LifeBook 7010.

For a system as small as it is, the LifeBook 7010 really is a very capable machine. The Intel 855GME chipset is rather versatile and allows manufacturers to offer several configurations to appeal to different budgets and needs. The 7010 is available in two different CPU speeds, Intel's Pentium M running at 1.2GHz or Intel's Celeron processor running at 1GHz. The LifeBook 7010 comes with a minimum of 256MB of memory but is expandable to 1GB and is able to support two 512MB sticks of memory simultaneously.

One of our favorite features on the 7010 is its beautiful display. Using a 10.6” wide-format XGA Crystal View TFT display, the 7010 comes with a default resolution of 1280x768 at 16M colors. The 64MB integrated Intel graphics chip is powerful enough however, to power an external display capable of 1600x1200 resolution at 16M colors and even supports multiple displays; perfect for giving presentations.

Although a floppy drive is missing from the system you can purchase an external drive separately if you want. Instead, Fujitsu gives you the option of a 2X DVD +/- rewriter, CD/DVD writer combo or you can simply use the bay for an extra battery. Depending on the model you want, there are three hard drive options to choose from; a 40GB, 60GB or 80GB size. Our P7010D review unit came with an 80GB hard drive. All three drives feature a 4200RPM spindle speed.

Fujitsu LifeBook P7010

The LifeBook 7010 is an attractive system that melds shades of silver and black with a somewhat industrial, yet refined looked. There is very little in the way of branding on the system itself. The Fujitsu name is on the bottom of the system and on the inside of the lid only. The top of the lid and sides of the 7010 are completely bare. The lid hinge is definitely unique and what makes up the whole look of the system. Sort of like an electric shaver, the round metal foil spindle houses the systems speakers and the power button. Fujitsu uses a combination of blue and red LED lights to enhance the systems prowess.

The front of the system is where the WiFi on/off switch and media card reader are. Most of the people we showed this system to thought the WiFi power button was the main power button for the whole system; so it is probably not a good location for that switch. On the left hand side of the system there is a modem jack, PC Card slot and a Compact Flash card slot. So not only can the 7010 handle the smaller media cards, but it can support the larger compact flash cards as well; a trait that photographers are sure to love.

The audio inputs, two USB 2.0 ports, mini FireWire port, Ethernet port, S-Video out and VGA output jacks are all located on the right hand side of the system. Fujitsu does a great job of putting a protective cover over most of the ports. Also worth noting is that Fujitsu chose to use a regular full size VGA output jack for use with an external monitor. This will allow those that travel a lot to hook up the system with ease for their presentations. Most of the Sony systems we have seen come with a VGA mini input that forces you to use a dongle cable; which usually costs extra and is a pain to replace if it breaks or is lost.

When the lid of the system is open, you are greeted by a beautiful display that seems to share a lot of the same characteristics as the displays used on the Sony T series. The display resolutions between the two systems are nearly identical and both seem to be using the same Xbrite technology, although Fujitsu calls theirs “Crystal View”. At first it's hard to find the fingerprint scanner until you realize it doubles as the touchpad's scroll sensor, an ingenious design if you ask us.

Fujitsu loads the LifeBook 7010 with a ton of software including Windows XP Professional or Home editions, Quicken 2005, Norton Antivirus, Microsoft Works or Office, WinDVD and Adobe Acrobat Reader. We did not find the software to be too excessive but there were a lot of applications running in the task bar of our test system. Unless the applications need to be there, we recommend you exit their tray icons to clean up your desktop. We noticed that our test system came with Norton Antivirus 2003 instead of the newer 2005 version. This was a smooth move on Fujitsu's part since we have heard a number of incompatibilities with the latest version of Norton's Antivirus software.