(Click here for a larger view of Fujitsu's LifeBook U2010)
Fujitsu's LifeBook U810 was just 6.7 inches wide
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The LifeBook U2010 is billed as an update of the company's LifeBook U1010, a Windows Vista-based
UMPC resembling a convertible laptop that shrunk in the wash. Sold in the United States as the
LifeBook U810 (right), the device had a 5.6-inch touchscreen that pivots and allows use as a stylus-driven tablet. Its screen bezel houses both a fingerprint sensor, at the right, and a webcam.
Newly available in five "lifestyle" colors -- at least in the Singaporean market, where Fujitsu chose to announce it -- the U2010 employs a form factor identical to the U1010. However, there are a couple of significant changes inside. First, the U2010 moves from the U1010's Intel A110 processor, clocked at 800MHz, to a 1.6GHz Atom
Z530. Second, the pivoting, 5.6-inch touchscreen display, which formerly offered 1024 x 600 pixels, now packs 1200 x 800 resolution -- magnifying glass not included.
Mercifully, the device sports a "Raku Raku" (easy easy) button that can zoom the screen. Also new to the U2010 is a built-in FM transmitter, intended to send music to a car stereo or other radio.
Performance aside, the switch to the Atom Z530 processor and SCH (system controller hub) companion chip brings the U2010 increased battery life, claims Fujitsu. The device is said to operate on batteries for more than eight hours, at least when equipped with SSD (solid state disk) storage and a four-cell 5800mAh battery.
Like the U810/U1010 before it, Fujitsu's new UMPC includes a miniaturized QWERTY keyboard and a "Glide Point" pointing device. Access control is provided by a fingerprint reader and "two-level" BIOS locking.
The U2010 is said to weigh just 1.35 pounds, compared to the U1010, which weighed 1.6 pounds. Dimensions of the newer model are the same as the U1010, coming in at just 6.7 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches.
The U2010 has a non-expandable 1GB of DDR2 RAM, plus the buyer's choice of a 60GB hard drive or 64GB SSD. Flash storage can also be added via the device's CompactFlash and SD slots.
Wireless interfaces include 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth 2.1. The U2010 also has a 10/100 Ethernet connector and a VGA output, both provided via a special LAN/VGA cable adaptor. It has two USB connectors and jacks for audio line/mic in and line out.
Finally, in addition to the Windows Vista operating system, the U2010 sports Microsoft's
Origami Experience 2.0. This is a Windows Vista UI (user interface) add-on for UMPCs that, per Microsoft's description, "brings together favorite media experiences -- music, videos, pictures, programs, news feeds, and the Internet -- in one location."
Microsoft's Origami Experience is an addon for UMPCs"Origami Now," pictured above, gives one-touch access to email, calendar, RSS feeds, weather, and to-do lists. Content is organized into a single screen that changes according to the time, the date, and the user's current location.
Features and specifications listed by Fujitsu for the U2010 include:
- Processor -- Intel Z530 clocked at 1.GHZ
- Memory -- 1GB of DDR2 RAM
- Display -- Pivoting 5.6-inch touchscreen, with 1280 x 800 resolution and 300-nit brightness rating
- Camera -- 1.3 megapixel
- Storage -- 60GB hard drive, or 64MB solid state drive (SSD)
- Networking -- 10/100 Ethernet
- Wireless:
- WLAN -- 802.11a/b/g
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.1
- Other I/O:
- 2 x USB
- Audio line in, mic in, line out
- Docking connector
- Expansion:
- Battery type/life -- with four-cell, 5800mAh battery and SSD storage, more than eight hours
- Size -- 6.7 x 5.3 x 1.3 inches
- Weight -- 1.35 pounds (610g)
Fujitsu did not announce pricing and availability for the LifeBook U2010, other than to state that it is "coming soon." The device will be known as the LifeBook U820 in the United States, rumors suggest.
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