Gadgets Blog » Fujitsu

Apple may be garnering much media attention lately for its much-touted tablet computer, the iPad, but the idea of tablet computing has been around far longer. Touchscreen technology has found its way into a variety of computers, and if you really crave a tablet computer, but are looking for something with a little more computing power than the iPad (or a unit that operates Windows), there are several great devices on the market that combine this touchscreen technology with a laptop, allowing for some great versatility and functionality as well.

A great example of the benefits of this technology comes in the Fujitsu Lifebook P1630, a tablet PC running Windows Vista. There are some immediate differences between this tablet computer and what many people may think a tablet should look like, especially after the unveiling of the iPad. First and foremost, the Lifebook looks a lot like a traditional laptop computer, as opposed to a large iPod Touch. It has a fully-functioning keyboard, and an 8.9 inch swiveling display that is touch-activated, meaning you can flip the screen over the keyboard, making it single tablet, or you can twist the screen around so it’s oriented like a traditional laptop screen. This enables the unit to be proficient in both word processing and touch-screen capabilities.

This version of the Lifebook runs Windows Vista Business, which is indicative of Fujitsu’s target audience here. The screen is smaller than on a traditional laptop, making the unit portable. A stylus comes along with the device for writing on the touchscreen, and some great results were achieved in this way, with the ability to save the writing in a variety of programs in several different formats, such as .jpeg, Word documents, or even in PDFs. The utility here is obviously aimed towards note-taking upon existing documents, likely in the context of an important business meeting.

The best part about the Fujitsu Lifebook series is that they offer the same flexibility as other PC laptops. One of the biggest drawbacks about the Apple iPad is that it will be subject to the same restrictions as the iPhone and the iPod touch. Namely, there won’t be much flexibility with the programs and applications one is able to download and run. With the Fujitsu computer, this problem is avoided, and those who are already familiar with Vista will enjoy virtually no learning curve on the new model. The downside is the price tag, which at around $1800 makes this one of the higher-end Lifebook models, but if the concept interests you, be sure to shop around for other tablet PCs similar to this one!

Check out lower-cost alternatives to the Apple iPad, and compare tablet computers at Smarter.