2nd Impressions - 90 day review
Written: Jul 03 '02 (Updated Jul 03 '02)
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Pros: Lightweight, Great Screen, DVD+CD-RW,
Wireless
Cons: No WinXP CD provided
The Bottom Line: It is a well-designed, multi-functional, multi-faceted product capable of meeting most modern day uses.
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| anwarasw's Full Review: Fujitsu LifeBook P-2046 Crusoe 800MHz / 20GB / 256... |
Well, murdoch beat me to the punch ... so I'll have to contend to a review after using it for 3 months.
REASONING
I was living off my company assigned generic laptop (AMD 400Mhz with 64MB RAM) for the past 2 years before I decided that it was time to upgrade. I took about 3 months to carefully research what would fit my needs.
The end result is the Fujitsu P-2046. The P-2040 was originally in my gun-sights but the wireless option on the P-2046 was just too tempting to pass on.
My research led me to scour the various shops and websites for comparison and reviews. I compared the following:
1. Dell - C400
2. Sony - Picturebook (SR was not yet available)
3. Fujitsu - S-series
4. IBM - A-series
The following was what finally made me choose the Fujitsu P-series:
1. I don't need a desktop replacement
2. I don't want to break my shoulder travelling
3. An internal CD+RW/DVD option
4. Ample hard drive space
5. Modern Processor with enough Ommphh
6. Sufficient RAM for current software
7. Internal 56kb Modem
8. Internal 10/100Mb NIC
9. Internal Wireless
10. Available Firewire port
PURCHASE EXPERIENCE
I initially ordered it from Fujitsu directly but was shocked at the amount for shipping and tax. I cancelled the order immediately when I realized that www.laptopinc.com was offering it at the same price but without the added cost. In the "Tech Support" section, I used my experience with the Sales Dept's refund of my original order.
Due to the increased interest of the product at that time, I waited almost a month for my P-2046.
GETTING IT & RUN IN
I received my box at the office and opened it like a child during Christmas.
It was smaller and lighter than I anticipated. Everything worked like a charm the first time I turned it on. I had to go through the Windows XP Pro registration, but in a flash I had my system up and running.
Windows XP itself took a while to get use to but the overall management of the hardware was simple. The Trackpoint mouse is useable (2 extra nubs are included), the keyboard is easy to use (I'm Asian thus have relatively smaller hands than many Caucasians). As described in the forums of LeoG (www.leog.net), the right shift key took time to get use to.
I was lucky to receive the laptop just before heading out to the UK for a business trip. I took the opportunity to run in the system. I was able to successfully run the following programs without any problems:
1. MS SQL 2000 Server
2. Microsoft XP Suite
3. Burn CDs using both included software (Drag & Drop CD and MS XPs default CD burning software)
4. Watch DVDs
5. Run programs that access the SQL database without any problems.
On the whole, Fujitsu has done a marvelous job with the laptop. You can swap out the standard battery with an extended battery, or you can use the DVD/CD drive bay to add another battery pack. As for me, I have been successful with about 2 hours charge on the standard 3-cell battery.
BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death)
There have been no BSOD that can be attributed to the hardware system itself. It is all the software out there. Take today, for example, I was upgrading my drivers for my Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 (review coming soon ...) on my system. Just before a reboot I encountered a BSOD. But it has yet to happen again. I emphasize it is the OS that is acting up and not the hardware. Fujitsu does not have a say in that part of the equation.
HARDWARE
*General
The hardware is outstanding, I have successfully used the USB ports (2 included) for wireless mice, digital camera interfacing, USB drives (got 1 free from Laptopinc.com with the purchase), and more. My Creative Nomad Jukebox uses the 4-pin (no power) Firewire (aka iLink, IEEE 1394) port successfully.
*Design
The design is sleek and the metallic finish is cool. All my colleagues are in awe of it, especially when they find out that it has an internal CDRW/DVD module. I find it to be ergonomic, especially useful in a coach class seat. There is a blue aluminum piece on the cover that I have already nicked and slightly dented (... sad ...).
The underside has felt pieces in various locations. As current owners have discovered, it is a good anti-slip idea when using the baby as a true "LAP-TOP".
*Wireless
The wireless capability is great, I purchased a Linksys wireless 4-port Cable/DSL Router (BEFW11S4) for my home network. Once I had the Router up I could use my laptop anywhere in my house (townhouse with full basement).
[If you are wondering about the speed of the connection, my comment is that your bottleneck is your connection to the ISP. In 'naked-eye' testing, my webpages loaded up as quickly as I was on my dual-processor (P3 1GHz) workstation. Of course, if you are trying to copy files from within your 100Mbps LAN, your wireless connection will be the bottleneck - max theoretical throughput of 11Mbps).]
Fujitsu is going with the 802.11b standard as this is currently the most widespread. It is a micro-PCI unit. Some people have said that they are waiting for the 802.11a (54Mbps theoretical throughput) standard or to use the single PC card slot for that purpose. I will not argue either way, but my experience shows that having the 802.11b is really convenient. If I had a subscription to Wayport's (www.wayport.com) service, I could have logged onto the Internet in the Tage Inn when I was on assignment just by flipping the switch.
*AUDIO
You get OK speakers, a good set of head/ear phones will give you better results (see my Bose Noise Cancelling Review) if you intend to watch DVDs or listen to hi fidelity music recordings.
You also get an optical out jack which allows you to record to a hi quality music system. I don't know how often we will actually get to use it but it is there. I presume it may be for you to plug into the music system if you want to use your P-series as a DVD player.
There is a microphone jack that you can use if you are into voice recognition or internet video-conferencing.
*VIDEO OUTPUT/CAPTURE
The LCD screen's resolution is not standard (1280x768), but when you output (through the mini-VGA dongle supplied) you can achieve up to 1280x1024.
There is also a S-Video port that allows you to plug into a newer TV set to watch your DVDs.
With the FireWire port, you can do video capture from your digital video camera. If you are adventurous, you can try MS Video Maker to make an amateur movie while on vacation and burn it onto CDs.
*OTHER STUFF
There are a couple of convenience items. There are hot buttons that allow you to use. These buttons launch your most frequent programs, programmable by you through the Fujitsu Assistant.
There is a third convenience button, which is located on the left side of the LCD panel on the wireless switch strip. There is a very obvious etching of an envelope. This button launches your email program, then sends and receives any mail.
*UPGRADEABILITY
There is very limited possibility in upgrading, as with most laptops. However, there is hope yet:
1. Hard drive - it has been successfully done. Users have upgraded to a 40GB 9.5mm Toshiba HD. Other users are waiting for a 5400rpm 40GB HD to better manage video files.
2. Memory - it has been successfully tested and done. The good folks at Laptopinc.com have found and tested the 1 stable product for upgrade. The fist 128MB is fixed, the second memory bay can handle another 256MB (though not officially sanctioned). My system came with a total of 256MB (128MB + 128MB), but people have installed a total of 384MB (128MB + 256MB).
3. Wireless - technically possible but haven't heard of anyone doing it.
*OTHER THINGS TO NOTE
1. Hard Drive - 20GB is the full drive, but it is partitioned to 17GB (C:) & 3GB (D:). D: drive is used as an image backup of the original system.
2. Memory - As this is a Transmeta CPU, it takes 16MB of your system memory to run the CPU software. So with 256MB RAM, you effectively only have 240MB for your system.
3. Make sure you keep the other stuff in a safe place. I have yet to use my mini-VGA dongle and USB Floppy drive. It is easy to misplace them and not have them available when you need it. (BTW, HP/Compaq charges extra for their external floppy drive ~$50.)
4. The set comes with a drive bay filler. On a short business trip, you can remove the DVD/CDRW module to reduce your shoulder burden.
5. Security Lock port - VERY VERY IMPORTANT!!! Due to its PORTABILITY, I advise everyone to purchase a locking cable. It is a small investment.
OK ... time to end this. Looking at the Laptopinc.com website now, the P-2046 is no longer offered. However, I believe that the information that is given will be similar for the new models P-2110.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1799
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: 701-800
Screen Size: 11
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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Epinions.com ID:
anwarasw
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Location: Singapore
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Gadget Collector (when finances permit).
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