The LifeBook T4410 Tablet PC, released mid-October by Fujitsu Canada, Inc., includes all the mobility features you’d expect in a notebook, but with benefits such as a 360-degree rotating display, multi-touch interface and the ability to handwrite notes.
The tablet takes advantage of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 7 multi-touch capabilities with a touchscreen display that you can interact with using gestures similar to those you would perform on an iPhone. Using more than one finger at a time, you can flick, rotate, pan and zoom across the screen.
It also includes a traditional pen with a digital eraser for drawing, handwriting notes, collecting digital signatures and filling out forms. The pen also performs mouse-type functions that allow you, for example, to make selections on screen.
The full-sized, spill-resistant keyboard features sturdy keys that dig deep as you type and spring up with a nice, snappy click. The trackpad includes a touch-sensitive scroll wheel, with left- and right-click buttons located just beneath.
While it’s a bit of an adjustment to have so many input options available, what’s nice about this tablet is the more comfortable you get with it, the more natural all the options become – and the more efficient the device gets.
The T4410 features two digitizers – one active and one capacitive – and seamlessly switches back and forth between the two. This allows you to quickly move, for example, from writing a phrase with the pen to selecting an option with your fingers.
The handwriting recognition, while not perfect, does work well enough to make you want to use it and claims to get better over time with auto-learning.
The T4410’s 12-inch display, which rotates on a hinge that swings both left and right, provides 160 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles. It includes a latch that will either hold it flush with the keyboard for input or secure it shut.
You can swap back and forth between carrying around an optical CD/DVD drive, an extra hard drive or a second battery as part of the device, which comes with a flexible bay.
But the machine lacks a sense of style. It isn’t the most physically attractive mobile device on the market and while roughly only four pounds in weight, it is about 1.5-inches thick and feels a bit clunky to carry. Another downside is the rather bulky charger, which may lead you to regret opting for an optical drive instead of a second swappable battery.
Processor options include the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8700 2.53 GHz, P8800 2.66 GHz or P9700 2.8 GHz. For memory, up to 4GB DDR3-1066 MHz SDRAM is supported. Hard drive options range from 160GB to 250GB, or you can opt for a 64GB or 129GB SSD. The T4410 includes the Mobile Intel GM45 Express chipset and an optional built-in 2MP Web cam.
Ports include one 15-pin D-SUB connector for a VGA external monitor, three USB 2.0, one DC In, one IEEE 1394 (4-pin) jack, one LAN (RJ-45), one HDMI, a docking port (100-pin), a stereo headphone line-out and a stereo microphone line-in. The card slot supports SD and Memory Sticks. Wireless connectivity options include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Main battery life is estimated to last up to 5.5 hours, according to Fujitsu. Pricing starts at $1,390 CAD for the dual digitizer model.