Light tablet heavy on features

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Just when I was getting very jaded about portable computers, along comes Fujitsu Computer Systems (http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc) with a notebook/tablet PC running Microsoft Windows Vista that starts at $1,599 and tops out at $2,309.

The model I tested is one down from the top model, with 2 gigabytes of memory, a 100 GB hard disk drive and an Intel Core Duo 1.2 gigahertz processor. It weighs about 3.5 pounds — and that's not a typo. The price may not be ultralight, but the computer clearly is.

There's a very nice display screen that the maker says is a "12.1-inch WXGA indoor/outdoor active digitizer display with wide viewing angles." Translated, that means the screen can be viewed in sunlight as well as indoors, and is in the wide-angle format now popular with operating systems such as Vista.

The keyboard is friendly for a small notebook and is advertised as "spill resistant," though I didn't test that claim. It lacks a separate numeric keypad, found only on larger, 17-inch display-sized notebooks, but does have separate page up and page down keys, not to mention a point-stick mouse device with click buttons below the space bar.

Battery life on the computer is very, very good. I started off without connecting the power cord and was able to work for at least 2½ hours before even thinking about battery life. The battery is rated at five-plus hours on a single charge, which makes it good for a cross-country flight or even a long meeting where outlets don't abound.

The T-2010 is primarily a business computer. Though sound via the headphone jack is superb, the internal speaker isn't as robust as the audio found in other models. There is no built-in webcam, something often found in similar notebooks. And getting an external DVD-ROM drive requires an optional "slice" which costs either $250 or $350, depending on disk-writing formats desired.

It's important to note that this computer is also a Tablet PC. Its display swivels and creates one of the lightest tablet computers I've ever come across, with a screen that's large enough to replicate a letter-sized sheet of paper. Given the overall improvements to Microsoft's handwriting-recognition software over the years, using the computer as a tablet is far more appealing than one might think.

The T-2010 functions very well in tablet mode and again, the computer's low weight makes it truly portable. A stylus is included for writing and editing on the "digitizer" display, and it can be tethered to the machine.

Fujitsu has included a fingerprint reader as an added security feature. I'm avoiding it, frankly, since an earlier experience this year with a similar device on a Lenovo ThinkPad left me a tad cold. In government and other settings, however, having the device could be an advantage.

Overall, I could see myself using this computer in a variety of settings, especially if I were on the go and collecting information. Built-in Wi-Fi and a card slot for wireless broadband cards make it easy to stay connected, and the display is very easy on the eyes. One might wish for the random additional feature, but overall the Fujitsu Lifebook T-2010 has the very real potential of being the business lifesaver you're looking for.

c Read Mark Kellner's Tech Blog at www.washingtontimes.com/blogs.