Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 with WWAN Review

The Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 is a solid tablet notebook. This updated model has AT&T BroadbandConnect HSPA integrated though. Besides that the design and chassis are the same. I actually have the lower end model with the ULV 1.06GHz Core 2 Duo processor and smaller hard drive. The big question though, does the built-in WWAN make a difference, especially for those road warriors or business professionals who are always on the go? Let's take a look and find out.

Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 Tablet PC specs as reviewedprice with WWAN is $1,499)

CPU	Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.06GHz U7500
OS	Windows XP Tablet Edition
RAM	2GB DDR2 533 MHz SDRAM memory (1GB x 2)
Display	12.1" WXGA indoor/outdoor active digitizer display with wide viewing angles
Graphics	Intel GMA X3100
Audio	Integrated speakers
Hard Drive	40GB hard drive
Optical Drive	None
I/O ports	2 x USB 1 x VGA - 15 pin 1 x IEEE 1394 (Firewire) 1 x Type I/II PCMCIA slot 1 x Smart Card slot 1 x Media card reader 1 x Microphone-in 1x Headphone
Communications	AT&T Broadband HSPA WWAN 10/100/1000 Ethernet Bluetooth 2.0
Dimensions/Weight	11.9" (Width) x 8.8" (Depth) x 1.36" (Thick) 3.5 pounds
Battery/power	6-cell Lithium-Ion battery (5-hour life)

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Design and Build

The T2010 has a simple design that is sleek and appealing. Right off the bat, you get that business feel. It would be perfect for college students as well, considering it is so small and only weighs in around 3.5 pounds. The graphite color hides dirt very well and keeps the tablet looking professional, but be careful the lid can be scratched easily.

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The chassis is solid and there is minimal flex, except for the keyboard area, which I will get to later. There are a few dedicated tablet buttons on the bottom of the screen that change the screen orientation and function. They are very convenient, especially when using the T2010 in tablet mode. This model T2010 has the integrated AT&T Broadband Connect WWAN, so that is what the extra bulge is on the right side, the antenna.

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The hinge is solid and feels sturdy. The screen doesn't wobble much, even when tapped. The fact the screen turns in both directions is a nice feature as well. The entire design is solid and the battery being located in the front isn't an inconvenience at all. I thought it may be awkward, but it makes for a nice palm rest. Although, there is no optical drive, the T2010 is packed with a good variety of features and you can always get the docking solution for more.

Display

The active digitizer is great and like I mentioned before the 12.1" WXGA screen is flawless. You can adjust the brightness level to your liking and I didn't notice any graininess. The colors are bright and vivid, so much that I almost forgot I was working with a tablet instead of a notebook.

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I didn't have any problems taking notes and since the T2010 has a bi-directional hinge it is great for presentations. I love being able to turn the tablet screen in both directions. It automatically changes orientation in tablet mode as well. The screen does have a glossy finish, but it's not that reflective. In fact it has great viewing angles and is readable outdoors.

Processor and System Performance

The T2010 performed about as I expected. It was a little slower on the benchmarks then the first model I reviewed, but this model only has a Core 2 Duo ULV 1.06GHz processor and a 40GB hard drive. The original review unit had the ULV 1.2GHz Core 2 Duo processor and a 100GB hard drive. It still performed tasks with no problems like checking email and surfing the Web. Remember this tablet is for the business minded, not gamers. It's lightweight and portable for a reason.

Comparison Results for PCMark05

PCMark05 measures the systems performance as a whole.

Notebook	PCMark05 Score
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.06GHz, GMA X3100 graphics)	2,325 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook P1620 (Intel Core 2 Duo 1.2GHz ULV, Intel 945GMS chipset)	2,113 PCMarks
Asus R1E (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz, GMA 965 chipset)	4,679 PCMarks
Gateway C-140x (Intel Core 2 Duo 2GHz, ATI X2300 HD graphics)	4,342 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics)	4,171 PCMarks
HP tx2000 (AMD Turion 64 X2 2.3GHz, Nvidia Go 6150 graphics)	3,738 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz, GMA X3100 graphics)	3,473 PCMarks
Toshiba Portege M700 (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz, GMA 965 chipset)	3,399 PCMarks
HP tx1000 (AMD Turion X2 2.0GHz, Nvidia Go 6150)	3,052 PCMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X60t (1.66GHz LV Core Duo)	2,860 PCMarks
Asus R1F (1.66GHz Core Duo, Intel GMA 950 graphics)	2,724 PCMarks
LG C1 (Intel Core Duo 1.2GHz, Nvidia Go 7300)	2,568 PCMarks
HP Compaq 2710p (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics)	2,453 PCMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.2GHz, GMA X3100 graphics)	2,334 PCMarks
Gateway E-155C (Intel Core 2 Duo ULV 1.06GHz, Intel GMA 950 graphics)	2,205 PCMarks
Toshiba R400 (Intel Core Duo ULV 1.2GHz, Intel GMA 950 graphics)	2,187 PCMarks

Comparison Results for 3Dmark05

3DMark05 tests the overall graphic capabilities of a notebook.

Notebook	3D Mark 05 Results
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (1.06GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics)	495 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook P1620 (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, Intel 945GMS chipset)	358 3DMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad T60 (2.0GHz Core Duo, ATI X1400 128MB)	2,092 3DMarks
Gateway C-140x (2GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI X2300 HD graphics)	1,956 3DMarks
LG C1 (1.2GHz Intel Core Duo, Nvidia Go 7300)	1,392 3DMarks
Toshiba Portege M700 (2.2GHz Core 2 Duo, GMA 965 chipset)	940 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (2.2GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA X3100 graphics)	925 3DMarks
Asus R1E (2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, GMA 965 chipset)	923 3DMarks
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (1.6GHz Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA X3100 graphics)	812 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook S2210 (1.6GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-52, ATI x1150)	810 3DMarks
HP tx2000 (2.3GHz AMD Turion 64 X2, Nvidia Go 6150 graphics)	636 3DMarks
HP Compaq 2710p (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics)	634 3DMarks
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, GMA X3100 graphics)	566 3DMarks
Toshiba Satellite A135 (1.73GHz Core Duo, Intel GMA 950)	519 3DMarks
Gateway E-155C (1.06GHz ULV Core 2 Duo, Intel GMA 950)	500 3DMarks

Super Pi

In the below results of Super Pi, where the processor is timed in calculating Pi to 2 million digits:

Notebook	Time to Calculate Pi to 2 Million Digits
Fujitsu LifeBook T2010 (1.06GHz ULV Core 2 Duo)	1m 54s
Fujitsu LifeBook P1620 (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo)	1m 49s
Fujitsu LifeBook T4220 (2.2GHz Core 2 Duo)	54s
Gateway C-140x (2GHz Core 2 Duo)	58s
Lenovo ThinkPad X61 (1.6GHz Core 2 Duo)	1m 10s
HP TC4400 Tablet PC (2.0GHz Core Duo)	1m 13s
Asus R1F (1.66GHz Core Duo)	1m 20s
HP tx2000 (2.3GHz AMD Turion 64 X2)	1m 33s
HP Compaq 2710p (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo)	1m 39s
Fujitsu T2010 (1.2GHz ULV Core 2 Duo)	1m 40s
LG C1 (1.2GHz Intel Core Duo)	1m 49s
Gateway E-155C (1.06GHz ULV Core 2 Duo)	1m 58s
IBM ThinkPad X41t (1.5GHz LV Pentium M)	2m 02s
Toshiba R400 (1.2GHz ULV Core Duo)	2m 10s
Dell Latitude D420 (1.06GHz Core Solo ULV)	2m 11s
Fujitsu LifeBook U810 (800MHz Intel A110)	6m 22s

HDTune Results

Keyboard/Touchpad/Pen

Don't get me wrong the keyboard has a nice design, it's just a little soft and springy for my liking. When you are typing you can actually see the keys flex. If you type fast these soft keys allow for mistakes to happen on accident since they don't give much feedback. However, it is very easy to read since the characters are bolded and plenty big enough and there isn't any shortened keys. Everything looks small though including the space bar because Fujitsu didn't compromise any room on this design. Some users may feel a bit cramped.

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There isn't a touchpad just the pointing stick, which is very responsive and easy to get adjusted too. I mean there is barely a palm rest, so where would Fujitsu put a touchpad. Actually the palm rest is the battery, which connects in the front. The location of the battery didn't bother me though and it never got hot. This is definitely the perfect travel companion.

The pen feels solid in your hand and is responsive. It has an eraser too, which is a convenient feature. It is easy to take notes with because the pen flows nicely on the screen and doesn't feel awkward in your hand. Fujitsu even included a tether incase you want to attach the pen to the tablet, this way it never gets lost.

Heat/Noise

I didn't experience any heat issues with the T2010. In fact it ran quite cool almost all the time. The keyboard area never got hot or the bottom. I think Fujitsu's famous suede patches along the bottom help reduce the heat as well. They make it more comfortable to hold the tablet on your lap or on your arm in tablet mode. The only heat issue was by the left side fan and that is because when this machine is working hard it blows out a lot of hot air. I mean there is enough heat coming out to keep your hand warm on a cold rainy day.

As for noise, well that is a different issue. The T2010 is actually kind of loud. Even when idling the fan kicks on and it sounds like a hairdryer. You run some benchmarks and you can barely hear yourself talk over it. When the T2010 is overloaded the fan is loud and you can hear it. I don't think it would bother anyone in a classroom, but in a quiet library, other people would notice.

Ports

Overall I am impressed with the T2010. It has a nice array of features including two USB 2.0, IEEE 1394 (FireWire), External monitor/VGA, modem (RJ-11), Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), docking connector, headphone jack, and microphone jack. It also has a Type I/II PCMCIA slot, Smart Card slot, and media card reader. All of this is packed into such a small tablet.

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Battery

The T2010 gets good battery life. With the standard 6-cell battery in Balanced mode I was pulling almost five hours of usage. This battery sits flush with the tablet design, but you can always get the optional 9-cell battery, which sticks out the front a little and gives you all day computing life. It only takes a little over an hour to fully recharge the T2010 as well, so it is a road warrior.

One problem I did notice on this review unit was the power jack where you plug in the AC adapter to charge the tablet made some static noises everytime I plugged it in, which was annoying.

Speakers

I wouldn't recommend listening to your iTunes on this tablet. I mean the T2010 is lacking when it comes to speakers. It has one little speaker that puts out decent sound, but nothing I would brag about. Another problem is in tablet mode the speaker gets covered, so your sound becomes muffled. I listened to a few rock and jazz songs, which sounded fine at mid-volume level, but once you go above that it gets a little distorted. The headphone and microphone jacks come in handy though. The microphone works great for speech recognition and the headphones make the music quality a little better.

Wireless/WWAN

The T2010, is one of the first notebooks in North America to offer a built-in wireless modem certified to access AT&T's third-generation (3G) High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) BroadbandConnect wireless network. The ability to have this high speed access allows for faster download speeds and faster upload speeds, which enhances users' ability to send large files, such as emails with attachments, videos, photos or business documents.

I tested out the WWAN in many areas around my office and home in the Cincinnati, Ohio area. It worked great at the office and was hit or miss at my house. Downtown in the city I had good luck with connecting and reached way over the expected download speeds of between 600 Kbps and 1,400 Kbps and typical upload speeds between 500 Kbps and 800 Kbps. Besides that, I think that AT&T doesn't have the network coverage that Verizon and Sprint do in my area.

Sometimes I couldn't even connect and when I did it was slow. It isn't supposed to be slow. I really just think it was the network coverage area, so it will probably be fine in most other areas where AT&T is more dominant. Th review unit I tested was a little beat up too, but I think that is because it has been to other reviewers, so I think it was just a network coverage problem. I know we have tested Sprint and Verizon cards before and it depends where you are how it works, same thing with the AT&T WWAN. When it did work though it was great and I had fast upload and download speeds.

Using the Speakeasy.net Speed Test, I ran 4,055 Kbps download speeds and 650 upload speeds on the Atlanta Server. This was also tested in my office where we have wireless Internet services. When I was on the road and testing out the tablet around my house, I got download speeds of 1,150 Kbps and upload speeds of 550 Kbps. I also got kicked off the network sometimes too, so it was kind of tricky to test. I recommend finding out how well AT&T is in your area first before making any decisions.

OS and Software

The T2010 runs Windows XP Tablet Edition as the OS. There wasn't much bloatware either. It did have Norton and a few subscription programs but they were trail offers. Besides that not much, just the typical Windows programs and OneNote.

Conclusion

The T2010 is a solid Tablet PC, with a great bi-directional hinge and beautiful display. I really like Fujitsu's screens, the colors are always bright and vivid. The lid can be scratched easily, so be careful with that, but it does hide dirt very well. It is easy to take notes on, give presentations with and portable enough to take anywhere. Great for business professionals or college students. The battery life is good and if you get the 9-cell, you will have all day computing power, as I said before making it a perfect travel companion. The AT&T WWAN worked fine when I had it working and I had plenty of signal strength. I don't think AT&T has the best network coverage in my area, so I think that is why I had some problems.

Pros

• Beautiful screen with bi-directional hinge
• Solid design and chassis
• Lightweight
• Great battery life
• WWAN, when you get it to work

Cons

• One speaker, which doesn't do any justice
• Keyboard has a lot of flex and feels springy
• WWAN can be erratic in certain network areas

 

Thanks for the review. That is a good looking display.

The benchmark results don't show any significant performance hit compared with the T2010 you previously tested.

John

 

That is true the benchmarks aren't significantly different, but overall I could tell it was a little slower performance wise. The screen is very nice and Fujitsu seems to do a great job with that on all their Tablet PCs.

 

Why doesn't Fujitsu make a regular notebook with that nice screen? I might be interested in that, but have no need for a tablet. An option to leave out the WWAN, which I don't have a prayer of getting where I live, would be nice as well.

As for performance I think it'd be fine. People are too focused on specs. For Office and Internet the ULV C2D is more than enough. It's nice to see Fujitsu didn't hobble it with a slow drive which is a more likely bottleneck for performance than the CPU.

 

That is the same question I posed for Fujitsu P8010(which has an awful screen): http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=3100823
From the shots I posted there you can see that I have the non-WWAN version, which was already out since last fall. It performs very well for doing office and internet, it never once felt sluggish and the lack of a DVD drive hasn't bothered me yet(I mean, I only ever needed it once for a clean reinstall). Tablet mode is a pleasure to use with firefox, because the grab and drag and plug-in works so well with the pen and makes internet browsing experience similar to an iPhone. Even if you don't need tablet mode, you will find ways to take advantage because portrait mode is so useful for reading books or pdf files. The price isn't so bad either, because they cost only $1300 on newegg and you just need to upgrade ram to at least 2G then you're set.

 

It looks like a nice one, with a good selection of ports, and the works. Good review! But there was one typo that I spotted...

 

We use Fujitsu LifeBooks at one of the hospitals I work at. The keyboard feel/flex gets old after a while (not sure why it bothers me more on this notebook than others I use). Otherwise a solid and reliable notebook.