The Digital Writing Pad: Tablet PCs

9. Fujitsu Stylistic ST4120

The Stylistic ST4120 slate is a very mature device with many selling points. The back of the case is almost completely covered in a layer that is velvety to the touch. This makes the ST4120 pleasant to hold and also keeps it from sliding off a tabletop. Compared to it, the pure plastic cases of its competitors are more awkward. However, fault can be found with this tablet PC: it gets quite hot during operation. When the CPU and hard drive are in constant use, the back gets so hot that it is unpleasant to hold for longer periods. One advantage, however, is that the function buttons next to the display on the edge of the case work immediately after the device is turned on. This allows the user to alter the boot routine or call up the BIOS without an external keyboard. The keys even let you make changes to the BIOS.

As far as features are concerned, the Fujitsu device does not stand out from the other tablet PCs: 933 MHz Ultra-Low-Voltage CPU, 256 MB RAM and a 10.4" TFT display, including digitizer, are standard. Its performance, compared to the rest of the test panel, is only adequate: 14.2 dots in the Content Creation Winstone 2002 benchmark are good, but pure hard drive and CPU performance leave something to be desired. However, the battery life is that much more of a selling point because of it: at 3 hours and 37 minutes, it is the second best in the test.

The Fujitsu interpretation of Microsoft's tablet PC design is very successful. With its ergonomic design, good features and smart details, the Stylistic ST4120 gets our recommendation.