12. Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Mini-Notebook

by Ed Tittel

OK, I confess: I have a soft spot in my heart (or is it in my head?) for extremely small, cute, and capable notebook PCs. Sure, they’re costly-this one goes for about $1,049-and they come equipped with lower-powered processors (an 800 MHz Intel A110 CPU), less memory (1 GB of DDR2-400), and a tiny disk drive (40 GB). But they’re incredibly small: this one measures at 6.73" x 5.24"-6" x 1.04"-1.26" (17.09 cm x 13.31-15.24 cm x 2.64-3.20 cm); the larger dimensions are when the battery is inserted. It’s also very light, at just 1.56 lbs (708 g) including the battery. And let me say it again: like most ultra-mini PCs, this one is darn cute! As the photo shows, the keyboard deck isn’t even one-and-a-half times deeper than the stylus is long! It’s not quite a PDA, but it is incredibly portable.

The U810 screen rotates on a central pivot when it’s flipped up, and the 5.6" (14.22 cm) touch screen offers 1024 x 600 resolution.

As ultra-portables go, this one is surprisingly capable. Despite the small screen, images are sharp and clear; there’s also a VGA connector for an external monitor, and the built-in 945GU graphics chipset can handle monitors up to 1280x1024 (SXGA). The 5200 mAh 4-cell Li battery delivers more than 5 hours of battery power-it’s rated at 5.5 hours, in fact, and delivers a still-impressive 3:50 in Higher Performance mode-and the keyboard is surprisingly comfortable for one that is less than 6.5" (16.5 cm) wide. It also comes equipped with a Gigabit Ethernet port, a dual-antenna Atheros Super AG wireless LAN adapter that supports 802.11a, b, and g, and built-in Bluetooth support. You also get a single USB port, a docking connector, headphone and microphone jacks, plus a combo compact flash (CF) / Secure Digital (SD) slot.

The U810 comes loaded with Vista Business, along with Microsoft Office OneNote 2007, the Origami Experience Pack, Softex OmniPass, Abobe Reader, plus a collection of Fujitsu utilities, drivers, and whatnot. Some users may want to use a Bluetooth mouse, while others will find the included stylus usable on the unit’s touch screen instead. I prefer a mouse myself, but then I’m a creature of habit.

If somebody you know needs an ultra-compact PC, the U810 could be just the ticket. Once its lucky recipient realizes what it is, and what it can do, immense grins should break out shortly thereafter.