Customer Reviews
After some time to adapt to its control, it is a marvellous PDA / UMPC 
2008-07-12
This is never a general purpose notebook and every interested potential owner should know clear his/her own usage with this machine and judge whether this is suitable. For me, it fits my usage in excellent ways, as a portable ebook reader of any common format for English + Asian languages, a video players for all available formats, and for running some simple special purpose applications that only have the Windows version.
A lot of people claimed that they were dis-satisfied with the boot up time and responsiveness of Windows Vista with this machine. I personally find it not an issue. I only reboot the machine once per a few weeks and most of the time I just put it into either sleep / hibernate. Besides, unlike my full-size notebook, I seldom open more than 3 applications in the same time.
This is my first tablet PC and I took more than 1 week to get used to the controls and interfaces. After that I find it pretty convenient to use. In terms of convenience, it should never be directly compared to full-size notebook nor desktop PC. However, with the thumb-pointer + stylus + finger control + virtual keyboard, I could do almost all operations on this machine without using the highly trimmed down keyboard. With the additional 3 Fn + navigational keys, 3 customizable application keys, the dedicated Ctrl+Alt+Del key and the Fujitsu software function menu, control is easy.
The finger-print reader is very accurate and is a perfect device used in a UMPC for which typing is a heavy duty operation. It accuracy is very promising - the error rate is lower than 5% as I experienced.
The extended battery is a must. I swap between standard and extended ones for different usage. Also the hardware Wifi+BT on/off button is a good design as I could immediately turn them off in 1 sec to save battery life.
I would give it a score of 95/100. Very finely made machine with solid built that fit my purpose very well.
The best UMPC on the market 2008-04-26
A bought this UMPC almost 3 months ago and I have only positive notes to give it. It has performed as advertised and the price for the features it offers cannot be beat. Everything from the crystal clear "Tablet" screen to the long battery life is all thumbs up. And, yes, it is very small but coupled with a bluetooth keyboard it will find many uses in just about any situations it is exposed to. I would recommend for beginners to check [...] for excellent information on the latest UMPC's and what they really have to offer.
Remember, you will not be disappointed if the homework is done before purcase!!!
Awesome 2008-04-15
Totally surprised by this computer. It runs Microsoft Vista no problem, everything works on it.
For writers -- forgettabaudit! 
2008-04-10
I'm a professional writer and I like these little gizmos for working in the field. I went to a dealer to do a test drive. The keyboard was a show-stopper for me. If you don't mind a small keyboard -- and I don't -- the size isn't a problem. It's about the same size as my old HP Palmtop. But the keyboard design sucks. Only 1 shift key, on the left side. And the space key (which also doubles as Tab) is too small. I'm a Biblical typist (seek and ye shall find) so I need that second shift key on the right side. For a small unit, I think the ASUS Eee PCs offer a better solution -- for writers, remember.
info I would like to have had before purchasing 2008-03-13
This is a great little notebook. I had a lot of problems getting one with an XP OS but finally got one from the factory with xp tablet version and it's a great armchair companion. Having a PDA was very hepful in becoming accustomed to the tablet mode. If I could, I'd change this to a 5-star rating. Wireless works fine.
No Wi-Fi !! 2008-03-08
The Fujitsu LifeBook U810 has the functionality of a traditional notebook, but only half the size. With a 5.6" WSVGA Crystal View display and weighing a mere 1.56 lbs, it is one of the world's smallest convertible notebooks. It fits in your palm, yet it is rich with features that let you work, access e-mail, watch video, listen to MP3s, browse the Internet, take pictures, or stay connected with friends and family. It revolutionizes the way you work, play, and entertain yourself wherever you are, whenever you want. Welcome to the 21st century lifestyle with the ultra mobile LifeBook U810.
Fujitsu Lifebook 
2007-12-31
As good as many other lap tops. A family member requested this product and was happy. I am not use to the small screen and keyboard. It works just fine out of the box. All external drives and printers need USB connections.
Great unit as a high end PDA- not a laptop replacement 2007-12-30
I purchased this unit instead of getting a new PDA about 3 weeks ago. I wanted something I could use with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access that would be smaller (lighter) than a full blown notebook, but would be usable between meetings at client sites where I had time but no access to a computer. I also wanted to take it on vacation to check e-mail without having to lug a notebook. It's about the size of a daytimer. If you get the leather cover from Fujitsu, it really looks more like a daytimer than a computer.
I was also interested in the tablet functions and this is my first Vista system. I viewed it as a "learning Vista, simple work function unit/toy". Plus the price was right. I didn't want to spend $1500 for a unit as at that point I could get a new notebook.
Pros: Light weight, after training- handwriting recognition does a very good job recognizing script, long battery life. Stylus can be used on screen instead of mouse. Full size bluetooth portable keyboard (iGo for PDA) worked fine, once I figured out how to turn the keyboard on- it's buried in the on-line keyboard manual. 5.6" screen is small, but you can adjust the fonts both in the Vista display (although you loose some of the bottoms of the control panel menus when you do, you have to tab blindly to get them back- but I think that's a Vista issue), or you can adjust the View settings in the application. Word, Adobe Reader, and IE can all go higher than 100%. It's still much better than trying to type a document on a PDA.
Cons: Processor could be faster. Fujitsu used a phone processor, so they probably saved on $ and power, but it makes start up slow and you have to wait for it to finish doing stuff in the background. Can only get 1GB of memory, no expansion capabilities. Only 40GB of hard disk, 18GB is used by Vista Home Premium, so only 22GB is left after installation of OS. Don't plan on putting a lot of pictures on it. Stylus doesn't always register taps as clicks and I have to use upper right mouse buttons or hit "enter". I've tried playing with tablet settings, but noticed this was a problem in other reviews.
Having said that though, I have really been enjoying the unit and I will probably purchase a new one if they upgrade the CPU, memory, and disk.
Get a screen protector if you're going to use the tablet functions so you don't scratch the screen. I tried one of the ones that you only need to put on once, but when it went on there were a lot of bubbles that didn't disappear in a couple of days as the directions said they would and it produced a lot of glare. Getting it off was a problem because it was pulling up the the actual screen as I tried to get it off. It was only on 2-3 days, so I can't imagine what would happen had it been on months. I had to carefully and slowly pull one side while holding down the side where it just came off so the screen wouldn't stretch. I got the Fujitsu screen protectors and although they recommend they have to be replaced periodically it was much easier to get on and looks like it will come off without damaging the unit.
If you do get one, go to www.microsoft.com and get the SyncToy. It's a free download. It allows you to synchronize folders between a computer and external or network drive. I have a large network drive and I synchronize my folders between my larger notebook and the U810.
I also don't actually do shutdown. I close the top and wait for the lights to go out (the drive stops spinning) then put it in my bag. This speeds up starting up. May not be recommended, but I've been doing it with my larger notebooks without incident. Just have to be very careful when transporting- no tossing the bag into the car.
I have a Samsung LCD TV that can double as a PC monitor and I can use that as an external monitor with the included external adapter. I ended up buying an LG portable DVD reader/burner with lightscribe from Best Buy for $99 to load software. It is powered by the USB port on the U810 and sits perfectly under it. If you plan to watch DVD's on battery it will reduce your battery time. I haven't watched a movie, but I loaded software using the battery and I got about 3.5 hours off the battery charge.
With a faster processor, more memory, and disk, I would have rated this a 5 star as it could have become a desktop replacement by using an external, monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
If you want something portable to throw in your bag, to use periodically, this is great. The battery life will give you just about a days worth of use so you don't have to take a power supply or extra battery. If you're looking for a full time laptop replacement look elsewhere. You'll be disappointed by the small screen, slow processor, and limited disk and memory.
