Fujitsu Lifebook T4410

MORE: click here to see our video review of the Fujitsu Lifebook T4410

The Fujitsu Lifebook T4410 is a cross between a tablet PC, one with only a touch-sensitive screen for control, and a standard laptop. It has a full keyboard, but the screen can be swivelled around and folded over to cover the keyboard to make it more like a tablet (see our video review for a demonstration).

The point of this is that you can control the computer by using your fingers on the screen to move the mouse pointer. It supports 'multi-touch' so you can use a pinching gesture with two fingers to zoom in on a picture or a map, for instance. A pen is supplied too, which tucks into a slot on the laptop's side. This gives the user a bit more control than just using fingers.

The Windows desktop automatically rotates when you flip it over, but a button on the laptop's case allows the user to change its orientation manually.

It uses an Intel Core 2 Duo P8700 processor and has 4GB of memory. Both of those are quite powerful and the laptop is easily capable of dealing with office applications, internet usage and viewing films in high or standard definition.

It’s also fine for photo and video editing, although the screen is a little small for that. Games are not this laptop’s forte, though – the lack of a graphics card means it’s strictly business.

This model is officially classed by Fujitsu as a business computer, which explains the relatively high price tag. It does offer some good features to make up for that, though. It's quite tough as portable computers go.

While it's not designated as being shockproof, the hard plastic case and magnesium-alloy lid protect both the main section and the screen well. The keyboard, which was fairly comfortable for typing, is spill-resistant and there is a shock sensor attached to the hard disk so it will be protected if dropped.

It uses the Windows 7 Professional operating system, which gives access to some genuinely useful features not in the home edition such as the Windows XP compatibility mode, under which applications that will not normally work with Windows 7 can be run successfully.

Sadly, it is not a looker. The T4410 is chunkier than most similar laptops (the screen is only a 12in widescreen model), and although it's not a boxy design, it's not going to win any awards for its looks.

Still, it's clear that a lot of thought has been put into the computer's design, evidenced by small touches such as the catch that locks the screen down, which can be rotated so that it does not stick out whether the screen is in standard or tablet mode.

There are two versions of the laptop, one of which has a 3G modem so you can connect to the internet when there is no wired or wireless networks around, but you will need your own Sim card and data contract. It also adds some £90 to the price, so we are looking at the cheaper version without it.

It's loaded with some handy utilities for controlling the built-in webcam and a fingerprint reader that can be used to protect log into websites and protect data onis on your computer. The laptop contains a Trusted Platform Module chip that enables it to make use of improved encryption methods, and can be used with the Computrace system to track your laptop and delete the data on it if it’s stolen.

There's a PC Card slot, a memory card reader (for SD, SDHC and Sony Memory Stick cards) as well as a slightly disappointing three USB ports (we'd have expected a couple more) and HDMI and VGA outputs for connecting to flat-panel televisions or computer monitors. A CD and DVD rewriter is fitted on one side, although this is disabled when the computer is in folded-over tablet mode.

Battery life was a disappointing 95 minutes, but you can attach a second battery by removing the CD drive. Despite that, we’d recommend the Fujitsu Li febook T4410 as a reliable computer for anyone who needs to work on the move.

MORE: click here to see our video review of the Fujitsu Lifebook T4410