New Fujitsu Super-Slim Lifebook Q2010 Laptop

In Sunnyvale today, Fujitsu Computer Systems announced its stylish new LifeBook Q Series notebook. The LifeBook Q2010 is super-slim--just ? of an inch thick--and weighs just 2.2 pounds. Here's a photo of it from the side:



(The unit comes standard with a three-cell battery; a six-cell battery is optional.)

Its black magnesium chassis houses an impressive 12.1-inch wide display, as well as a shock-mounted hard drive that relies on hardware and software G-Force accelerometers to lock the drive's head if the unit experiences a sudden drop or vibration.

Here's what it looks like from the front:



"It's executive jewelry," says Paul Moore, senior director of mobile product marketing at Fujitsu Computer Systems, of the high-design Q Series.

The line of notebooks will include Intel's Core Solo processor, and is equipped with Windows XP (though it's tagged as being Windows Vista capable). The Q2010 has integrated Wi-Fi 802.11abg, as well as Bluetooth v. 2.0, and enough ports and slots to keep you running the basics and then some (integrated SD Card slot on the left hand side, plus headphones and microphone jacks and a convenient volume wheel.

On the right side, the unit has a 1394 FireWire port, plus two USB ports and a PC Card slot; and a biometric fingerprint reader). The unit ships with either a 40GB or 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive.

Most of your connectivity will come via the lightweight (no weight was available at press time) and well-designed docking station, which includes a dual-layer DVD burner plus ethernet jack and four USB ports.

I found the slim unit a joy to hold, and even the docking station was light enough that I'd use it while traveling. I just wish there was some way to fit an optical into the unit itself, but I might just settle for the optical drive in the docking station.

What is important to you in a portable notebook?

UPDATE (6/20/06): The notebook launched today. Here is some information on some of the notebook's other features from Moore.

"Customers ask for some things are illogical or just not doable," Moore told IDG News Service.

For example, Fujitsu's research indicates that few customers used an integrated microphone, so designers left it out of their latest product. Customers howled with complaints, so the company returned the little-used feature in the next generation.

In another case, a small number of users demanded integrated wireless WAN (wide area network), to use as a cellular modem. But Fujitsu did not include it in the Q2010 because research indicates that almost no one uses the feature.

In the U.S., 4 percent of wireless-enabled notebook users actually subscribe to a network from providers like Verizon Communications, Cingular Wireless or Sprint Nextel, Moore said.

Fujitsu plans to add the service to future models, as soon as demand is large enough. In the meantime, notebook owners who want the feature can always use a removable PCMCIA card.

Prices for the laptop will start at $1,999, with additional storage and battery life in configurations costing $2399 and $3199, Moore said.