|
|
|
A truly portable tablet PC, but one that's dogged by poor battery life
With Windows Vista now housing full tablet functionality, Microsoft must be hoping for a boost in sales of the much maligned tablet PC.
As it happens, the relatively low specification of Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook P1610 means it only just meets the minimum specification for Vista Basic.
Since tablet functionality is only available with Home Premium or above, Fujitsu-Siemens has been forced to opt for the older Windows XP Tablet Edition.
If you crave Vista, a higher-spec model (1GB Ram, 80GB hard drive) is available for a smidgen over £2,000 - this also includes a UMTS module for high-speed HSDPA internet access on the go.
Software aside, the Lifebook P1610's obvious draw is its portability. Just 230mm wide and weighing only 1.2kg, you'll barely notice it in your bag. Opening up the lid reveals an 8.9in screen and full Qwerty keyboard. The keys are small and crammed in pretty close together, which hinders typing speeds considerably.
Despite using the Lifebook P1610, we never felt entirely comfortable bashing out long documents; fumbling unsuccessfully for the shift, control and Windows Start buttons was a common occurrence. That said, it's certainly easier than using the miniature keyboard on Sony's UX1 ultra-mobile PC.
There's no room for a trackpad, so you're left to navigate via the nipple, keyboard shortcuts or the touch-screen display.
The screen can flip round and fold back on itself should you want to switch to full Tablet mode. A small stylus for scribbling notes is stored on the right side of the chassis, which had a tendency to get stuck in its slot during testing.
Handwriting recognition in XP Tablet Edition is excellent, though not as fully featured as the new version included with Vista. The small screen also makes it difficult to write anything more than short notes.
The exterior is home to a fingerprint reader, two USB2 ports, a PC Card slot and an SD card reader, while networking is available via 802.11g, Bluetooth, wired Lan and a 56k modem. The 60GB hard drive is pretty small, and may cause you storage concerns down the line.
The Lifebook P1610 is powered by an Intel Core Solo U1400 processor trundling along at 1.2GHz. Just 512MB of Ram occupies the single Micro-Dimm slot, which will have to be ditched if you upgrade to 1GB. As expected, it struggled through Sysmark 2004 SE with a score of 108.
Although adequate for office tasks and browsing, processor intensive applications such as video editing are out. Graphics are taken care of by Intel's 945GM chipset; fine for tablet tasks, but a score of 322 in 3Dmark05 shows just how unsuited it is to gaming.
Although we can forgive sub-standard graphics and low processor power on a tablet, poor battery life is another matter. In our benchmarks is managed two hours 43 minutes in the productivity test. When out an about, with a good mixture of usage, it rarely kept going over two hours. A six-cell battery is available for £81, which should power the P1610 for an extra hour or so, but it's still not great.
At £1,464, Fujitsu-Siemens would have done well to include both batteries as standard. As it stands, you're paying a hefty premium considering the poor battery life and low specification.
Take a look at HP's new Pavilion tx1000 Tablet, with its dual-core processor, 1GB Ram and 120GB hard disk all for £899, and the Lifebook P1610 starts to look outrageously expensive. Then again, the HP's larger dimensions won't suit everyone.
Portability is without a doubt the Lifebook P1610's best asset, but the high price tag and poor battery life don't do it any favours.
Pros: Very light; small chassis; good features
Cons: Poor battery life; low-spec components; expensive
Overall: It will appeal to those after a portable tablet PC,
but battery life is poor and you pay a hefty premium for its small dimensions
Be a money saving expert
Return of the Mac computer
The benefits of owning a smartphone
Choose Gold, Silver or Bronze membership
Save up to 40% on the cover price of each issue
Get access to the subscriber club exclusive website
Our price won't be beaten by any shop or website
|
|
|
|
|
Nikon Coolpix S570 BlackPrice: £66.99 |
Computeractive Ultimate Guide - Storage, Sharing & BackupPrice: £5.99 |
Back Issue CD-Rom 13 (2010)Price: £9.99 |
Hallmark Card Studio DeluxePrice: £15.31 |
Marine AquariumPrice: £15.41 |
FSC P1610 Lifebook Tablet PC
Well, having just read Will Stapley's review of the Fujitsu Siemens P1610 Tablet PC I just felt the need to post my own personal experiences with this little number from Fujitsu Siemens. First, lets talk about the issues of Vista. Will mentions:- "As it happens, the relatively low specification of Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook P1610 means it only just meets the minimum specification for Vista Basic. Since tablet functionality is only available with Home Premium or above, Fujitsu-Siemens has been forced to opt for the older Windows XP Tablet Edition." Yes Will, it only just meets with the standards set for Vista but it does run it. FSC were not forced to to opt for Win XP Tablet Ed but chose it because it offers a better and more stable running machine, over Vista which still has issues with drivers. To say if you crave Vista, a higher-spec model (1GB Ram, 80GB hard drive) is needed, has nothing to do with the workings of Vista. Yes, 1GB RAM would most certainly help but it definately does not need it as default. Prior to purchasing my P1610 I asked FSC UK to state in writing "would the standard P1610 run Vista OS, the start up and operating Processes, MS Office and Firefox". The answer I received was a resounding YES, although 1GB RAM would be more suitable. The larger capacity hard drive makes no iota in whether Vista will run or not. As such it would be incorrect to say the only way to run this machine with Vista Home Premium and above is by adding further RAM and a larger hard drive. This is basically incorrect. Yes, it helps but it is not the de facto required. Moving on to the keyboard. Yes Will, the P1610 does have a smaller keyboard than what is found in a standard notebook/tablet pc but given the size of this little beauty what do you expect. Further, the keyboard is probably one of if not the best for it's size. I regularly can happily punch away for well over an hour without feeling cramp or other sufferings. On to the supplied Pen and it's stowage..... Will mentions:- "A small stylus for scribbling notes is stored on the right side of the chassis, which had a tendency to get stuck in its slot during testing." Sorry Will but in all the time I have been using my P1610 I have NEVER had one single issue with extracting the pen. On the subject of hand writing, in it not being as fully featured in Windows XP Tablet Edition as compared to Vista. I agree Will but it's the tablet that's in review here.... not the OS. Besides, with driver issues requiring attention, I would rather wait a while for Vista to go to SP1 and for third party applications to get their acts together and solve driver issues/conflicts before I opt fully and commit to Vista on a perminant basis. In reference to screen size being small and that it is suitable only for writing short notes. Sorry Will but I'm in disagreement here. Unlike the UMPC's with their lower smaller screen sizes of 7 inches and lower resolutions, the P1610 with it's slightly larger 8.9 inch and much higher screen resolutions makes writing notes a breeze. Lets face it... the people who purchase this little number will not be carrying out heavy graphics/illustration work, nor will they be into video editing. They will be mobile users who need a very portable PC that can be used for notes, presentations via hook-up and other business related tasks. For other hard processor tasks, either a desktop or a larger notebook/tablet would be also on their list. I myself have a desktop, a large notebook, a 12inch Tablet PC and the P1610. This combination ensures wherever I go and whatever I am required to do is always achieved effectively. As to the battery performance figures.... may I ask which cell battery were you using Will. All UK spec models ship with the larger 6 cell battery which gives on average around 5 hours mobility. I have achieved 4 hours with heavy Internet and Office tasks and over 5 hours for reading with the screen turned down and Internet/bluetooth switched off. Finally pricing..... I'm not sure where you price your machines Will but look around on the Internet and you soon find it is relatively easy to pick up a bog standard 6 cell UK model for just over £1200, nothing like the £1464 you quote. ....and to compare it to the new HP tx1000 Tablet PC is a poor comparison. The tx1000 build quality is plastic, some would say cheapish and is nothing like the P1610. It's pen tracking falls short of what FSC offer. It's not as mobile being larger, heavier AND the battery does not last as long. It uses the AMD Turion X2 TL-60 dual core processor which aren't anything to use with heavy-duty graphics files or massive database apps. Yes it is much cheaper but given what's to choose I would go with the P1610 every time.
Posted by Mike Paterson, 29 Mar 2007