Review – Fujitsu T2010
[Following is the review on the Fujitsu T2010. You’ll notice that this is not the standard review you’re used to read, in fact, it will be a collection of thoughts, things I noticed, flaws I detected within the next week when I get used to this tablet. My T2010 is bundled with a docking station (include DVD writer, DVI-out, VGA-out, 4 USB port, speaker out, 2 Kensington locks), specs as follow –
- Intel Core 2 Duo ULV processors – 1.20 GHz U7600
- Intel GM 965 chipset
- 2GB DDR2-667 SDRAM, 1GB Intel turbo memory
- 12.1″ Crystal View WXGA 1280×800, 16M color display, indoor/outdoor
- Intel GMA X1300 graphics with 384 MB shared video memory
- 160 GB 5400 rpm SATA HDD
- Wi-Fi AGN or ABG
- Bluetooth
- Gigabit Ethernet
- Standard Li-ion 6 cell 5800 mAh battery
- Dimensions: 11.69″ (297mm) W x 8.62″ (219mm) D x 1.34″ (34mm) H
- Weight: from 3.31 lbs (1.5 kg)]
Performance
Above is the Windows Experience Index on the Fujitsu T2010, the overall score is the slightly lower than the HP 2710p tablet PC as posted on James Kendrick’s review of the HP2710p [link].
Some guys raised the question as to whether 3D games like WOW can be played on the Fujitsu T2010 over at TabletPCReview’s forum. Well, I installed the latest version of Dark Age of Camelot, and ran it on 1280×800. Turned all options off and the game ran pretty smoothly. The 3D rendering was not lagging much. Figured that running WoW would be pretty much the same (not a WoW player here so won’t know).
Flaws
Posted this comment on GottaBeMobile’s article, Fujitsu T2010 coming to GBM next week, link here.
“Just got mine today, working on the review. Truly a lovely tablet, the screen is crisp and clear. However, noted the first flaw already, especially after watching your video review on the HP 2710p, that being the T2010 lack the magnetic latch. Basically there are none on the T2010. Not sure what Fujitsu was thinking in regarding to this, the screen when in tablet mode is not snapped to the keyboard. Kinda worry that it would put too much pressure on the hinges.” [see update on 9 September and comments section] There is a latch.
[Updated: 2 September] Another minor flaw. When the tablet is set onto the docking station, the tablet wobbles quite a bit, not a steady lock….hmm. Check out the following vid.
[Updated: 3 September] Another minor flaw noted, this time it’s the AC-in connector, it wobbles quite a bit after you plug it in to the Tablet, was fine with the docking station though. Hmm…this bugs me a bit too. Recorded a short vid to demonstrate this.
Display
The display screen I got is the outdoor/indoor display (standard configuration here in Hong Kong). Took it out today at hign noon to check on the readability and it still looks good under the direct sunlight (see above pic, you can still read most of the stuff off the screen).
[Updated: 2 September] Took the above pic today in my car this afternoon.
Though the screen looks great, the fingerprints smudges on the screen just drives me crazy, especially when the screen is off.
Further to Phil Evans’ comment, I hooked up the T2010 to my Dell 24″ monitor and set the resolution to 1920×1200, looks pretty good (see pic).
Findings – SIM card slot in T2010 battery bay(?)
Xenoproctologist from TabletPCReview forum posted this, “I just pulled the battery from my T2010 and noticed, just above the base of the notebook and to the right of the centerline, what appears to be a SIM card slot in the battery bay. (About an inch deep; a bit over half an inch wide; six contacts in two rows of three offset slightly to the side.) Very strange.
Anyone have a clue whether this is actually attached to anything? Is there infrastructure for WWAN that I wasn’t aware of? Or am I mistaking a diagnostic port or card reader of some bizarre variety for something else?”
Following that , I found the SIM card slot too (see above pics), inserted my data card and nothing pops, will look further.
[Updated: 3 September] From Xenoproctologist again over at TabletPCReview forum, he got a response from Fujitsu regarding the SIM card slot.
“Originally Posted by FUJITSU
Thank you for your inquiry about the apparent SIM card slot in the
modular bay.
We don’t have any information on that, but the T2010 does not have
support for SIM cards so I would guess that it is not connected to
anything in the unit. It is likely that the bay module has been changed
to this new one on all units to accommodate possible changes in the
future.”
Battery Test
[Updated: 5 September] Made a short vid on the T2010 today, but the quality was not up to par, gonna redo it later in the week. Meanwhile, ran some battery tests the last two days and I can say that the battery last a decent 5.5 hours on average while on power saving mode (without any tweaks). Figure I can squeeze in another hour or so with tweaks on. Test settings: 80% brightness, WiFi on, Bluetooth off. During the time it was on, not much heat or noise noticed and that’s a plus.
[Updated: 9 September] Thanks Emmanuel for the tip, there is a latch apparently, just near the swivel hinge, acccording to Crave, another blog from CNET, “The T2010 is 3.5 pounds with a 12-inch, LED-backlit wide screen. It’s designed specifically for tablet use, so the 9-hour battery stays in the front, but the latch is moved nearer to the notebook’s swivel hinge.” [link]
[Updated: 11 September] The screen protector is available now from all local resellers, list price is HK$380.
Photo from Jamon
In addition, some awesome screen comparison pics on the indoor and indoor/outdoor screen from Jamon [link], who also posted this thread on TabletPCReview forum in regarding the screens and scratches (ouch), link to the forum thread here.
[More to come]
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Hong Kong Tech Phooey 
I’m very tempted to get one myself, but quite worried about Vista, which comes pre-installed in the tablet. I’d much prefer XP Tablet PC edition which is apparently available to customers in U.S.
I’ll mostly probably install Phat Pad and maybe Pen Office, which I might be able to “bully” the salesman at Broadway into letting me have it for free.
The harder part is the OS. The P1610 could still be had with XP Tablet PC Edition pre-installed, and in any case I’ve met salesmen who are willing to do a “legitimate downgrade” for me. I wonder if this is also the case for T2010.
I read with delight Doggie’s review post at the GBM Forum that the tablet’s battery life was much better than what I anticipated (viz. 11 divided by 3 = 3.67 hours). Going online using wi-fi or a USB 3.5G modem usually sees the battery draining like no tomorrow, so his report, in this regard, is quite encouraging. How long has your T2010 lasted with the battery originally in full charge?
Rob Bushway at GBM, while reviewing the P1610, reported that when in tablet mode the back of the screen sometimes exerted enough pressure on the trackpoint nub to cause interference with the cursor. Does this happen with the T2010?
I’ll try my best to “bully” the salesman at Broadway (or elsewhere if circumstances dictate) into agreeing to “legitimately downgrade” it to XP Tablet PC Edition. If that is successful, then I’ll most probably get it. If not, then I’ll have to consider buying my 2nd choice, i.e. the P1610-3G (as it’s called here in Hong Kong). But then the P1610’s battery life doesn’t even seem half as good as the T2010.
Looking forward to reading more about your experience with your new toy. 🙂
Erratum: Paragraph 2 – for “mostly probably” read “most probably”.
P.S. The last Fujitsu that I owned was the ancient, pre-Pentium-M P2120 with its Transmeta Crusoe CPU, how time has changed!
Does anyone know where I can get a T2010 in Hong Kong?
Quite a few shops carries them, check this link, http://www.fujitsu.com/hk/services/computing/pc/wheretobuy/hkg.html, Digital Pro from Shamshuipo is a reputable shop. Alternatively, you can reserve one from the Broadway retail shops.
Hi!
May I know the specs of your T2010? Is it the indoor/outdoor screen? 1GB or 2GB RAM?
The T2010 I got is with an indoor/outdoor screen with 2GB RAM on board.
Hi – great to read your review. I almost picked up one of these in Wan Chai last week but had just bought a Q1u so couldn’t justify it at the time. I’m now suffering the screen “warp” problems that many are having with the Q1u so am reconsidering. Do you have a 24″ monitor to test 1920×1200 via DVI from the dock?
Nice review and we linked to it on our site. BTW, it’s Kendrick, not Kentrick. 🙂
Thanks James, oops my bad.
Phil, yes I have the 24″ Dell monitor, will test it later today.
Great review. It’s more desirable to have more lighting (brighter room) for the video next time. 🙂
Hey, thanks for testing it out with your Dell. I have the same monitor. The Q1u is heading back to Samsung soon… will be had to resist the Fuji in its absence!
Jerome, still working out on a daily use battery-drain test, will have results tomorrow. Gonna try it out with the 3.5G HSDPA Modem as well to see how bad it drains.
Hey HKPhooey. I am undecided upon the T4220 or the T2010.
I currently own the P7120 model, it is Pentium M 1.2Ghz, 512 MB ram, and it is really slow to me. the new T2010 supports Core2Duo at 1.2Ghz…is there going to be a major difference in performance from my owned P7120? Is multitasking good for the t2010? I will have a lot of windows opened(always forget to close them), Msnger, Music, possibly taking notes too. Do you think a 2 GB Ram 100GB HDD T2010 can handle that?
Also can you tell me more about the performance? I really like the decent look this tabletpc contains, but performance wise–the T4220. but I am a tiny girl and so used to 3 lbs, think the t4220 is too bulky for me. Please give me some advices 🙂 gi_luver@hotmail.com
There’s a huge difference in terms of performance when it comes to the Core2Duo and the Pentium M. The T2010 should have enough juice to handle your daily work. Usually I have my Outlook, Firefox (with 10+ tabs open) and OneNote. Multi-tasking is like the MUST thing these days and the T2010 handles pretty well. Weight-wise, the T2010 is pretty much the lightest full-size Tablet PC on the market now and yes, the T4220 is a bit too heavy, trust me, that 1lb DO make a difference.
thanks for the immediate reply, that was very helpful of you 🙂
I am so happy to hear this because I wanted to get the t2010 so much more… the look and mobility is mainly what I am most concern with lol :D~ I think i will order my t2010 now at Laptop Authority. I want to upgrade it but really dont know which 2GB stick is compatible to the T2010..any suggestions? another thing is the Screen protector.. the one sold at Fujitsu is too expensive.. where should I get one?? Thanks in advance!
Vivian Cheung
Hehe, thanks to push email.
Regarding the ram, ask around on TabletPCReview forum, more experts there (I’m hardly a hardware expert, :)), as for the screen protector, mine won’t arrive till later this week, will post price in the review so stay tuned. How much LA is charging you? If much difference, maybe I can send it to you, where u reside now?
Hi
For the battery test did you put screen on full brightness and wifi on? What kind of applications did you run? Don’t you think that 5.5 hours is pretty low for power saver mode? Can you get over 7 hours if you tried?
Thanks.
Actually I just assumed you had the extended battery for a moment there, so scratch the 5.5 hour question(which in fact is pretty decent for 6-cell imo).
Test settings: 80% brightness, WiFi on, Bluetooth off. Had Outlook connected to Exchange, Onenote running and Firefox with 10+ tabs opened. Had Outlook connected to Exchange, Onenote running and Firefox with 10+ tabs opened.
Phooey: thanks for the battery test. 5.5 hours from the standard battery is very encouraging – that’s more than 60% of the 9 hours claimed by Fujitsu. 🙂
For those living in Hong Kong: the tablet is now available at Broadway Mong Kok (the biggest branch at a basement next to McDonald’s) for HK$22880, with specs identical with Phooey’s one. Right now, they aren’t in the season to give out lots of free gifts, and the discount you’d be able to get is at most a few hundred HK dollars.
The bad news for me is that the OS has to be Vista. They no longer do any “legitimate downgrade” to XP now (that is to say, not even for the P1610). The rational part of me is therefore telling me to wait a few more months and see if I’ll get a better bargain for it. Vista SP1 will likely be released by Chinese New Year (and I hope even by Christmas). Most of the major bugs will be fixed by then – at least that’s what I’m holding out for.
I’m also very curious about the SIM card slot. If a future upgrade will include HSDPA functionality, then that means one less source for battery drain when we go online. But the HSDPA market in Hong Kong is heating up fiercely now that netvigator has joined in with its “Netvigator Everywhere” package (i.e. flat-rate 3G data + 3.5G data + WiFi with auto-detect, at roughly half the rate Smartone asks for). At this moment I’m more inclined towards using the USB modem (Netvigator or Smartone) because both claim to provide more bandwidth than the fastest onboard HSDPA functionality offers (P1610-3G: 1.8Mbps up+down; Smartone: 3.6Mbps up+down; Netvigator: 7.2Mbps down/ 384kbps up).
If the emotional part of me prevails, then I’ll buy it pretty soon and will report back. That will entail an upgrade to quite a few other areas of my I.T. set-up as well (e.g. dual-WAN WiFi router with USB input as optional WAN; subscribing Netvigator Everywhere; etc.).
P.S. Vivian: AFAIK the T2010 accepts a pair of SO-DIMMs (while smaller models such as P1610 or Samsung Q1 only accept one micro-DIMM), and the maximum it’s able to handle is a pair of 2GB SO-DIMMs totally 4GB (the standard package comes with a pair of 1GB SO-DIMMs totally 2GB). For 32-bit Vista, 2x1GB is the most sensible choice.
Just purchased mine @ a computer store in Wanchai. Official Dealer machine (not one of those parallel import). Identical config + dock. Paid only HKD20600 with credit card. Can go lower if pay by cash.
And I actually had 2 2GB SO-DIMM modules at home so now running it with 4GB.
One thing that I noticed is that I cannot download the G965 graphics driver from Intel and install on the machine. The installation complains that the driver isn’t certified for the machine or something….. Bummer. Because the new drivers from Intel are rumours to boost graphics performance quite a bit……
RE Jerome Chiu: I ordered the FUjitsu T2010 at Laptop Auth, they are giving me a decent deal for what i’m getting. It is the 1.2Ghz, 100HDD, 1GB x 2 (2GB ram). Lots of people are recommending 1GB Fujitsu brand + 2GB other brand. That would be a total of 3GB, and will there be a huge noticeable impact when compared to the Duo Channel Mem? i know with Vista 32 bit even if you have 2GB x 2, only 3.2 GB will come into fully utilized. Please give me advices 🙂
Thanks for all the great comments, really helpful to all the guys out there. Had a guy who IM me on Meebo yesterday and asked me to thank all who posted their comments here, said it really helped him in deciding on the T2010.
Re: Jerome, I’m using the service from Three.com, their service charge seems most reasonable as compare to SmarTone and Netvigator, check out their EasyPlus plan (in fact will post up the plan details later).
Apparently, Fujitsu has changed the latch design vs its previous models, but there is a latch on the T2010: “the latch is moved nearer to the notebook’s swivel hinge.” according to the following link: http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9759224-1.html
I hope it will prove to be a right engineering decision in the long run.
I am still undecided vs Lenovo X61T and HP 2710P:
The T2010 seems to have many advantages vs the HP: its speedier 5400rpm HDD vs 4200rpm for HP (even though in 12 months I might whange to SSD anyway…), the buttons on the screen vs no button for HP, its 50% more capacity of its normal battery…What’s your take ?
I am attracted by the 3473 PCMARKs of the X61T vs 2500 PCMARKs of the T2010. But how perceptible is that in real life using only office applications (no video encoding,…) ? This would be a key decision factor for me
Thanks for your reviews and videos. Very helful
@hongkongphooey: Could you post a pic of the latch? I am having trouble visualizing it from the description.
@Emmanuel: I’m also having trouble deciding between the T2010 and the 2710p. I’ve ruled out the X61T due to its battery life being the same as the laptop I have currently (a Gateway 275XL). My main question is if I’d miss the expresscard slot found in the 2710p. It seems most of the faster peripherals (like the HSDPA cards) only run though the expresscard slot and not through the apparently slower PCMCIA.
@Dan: I believe the bottleneck for HSDPA card is more the GSM network speed than the PC card bus, which would make both solutions (PC card vs Express card) equivalent for you, but this needs to be checked, I’m not an expert in this field.
Thanks a lot for your review Hongkongphooey. You have my mind made up to get this over Fujitsu P1610 and T4220. However I have a few questions regarding this tablet. I would like to know if I can change the hard drive myself because on the Fujitsu website it says it’s ‘shock-mounted’. Is there really a need to upgrade to the 9 cell battery? I’m a student and my classes normally stretches to 4 hours a day and there are no plugins available. Your feedback is very much appreciated.
Calvin,
For battery, if you have WiFi and Bluetooth off, you can easily get over 6 hours with the 6-cell (of course other tweaks like dimming the screen a bit, turn off Aero, Windows Sidebar…would help). So no worries. As for the HDD, you can replace it, but check with the reseller (in case of any warranty void). The shock mount is kinda sensitive, I’m considering whether to turn it off myself (already adjust it to the lowest level), still very sensitive.
I saw the efficiency of the “latch-included-in-the-hinge” on the T2010 on gottabemobile video and this is not looking good. What’s your take ?
Hey thanks for the great review, but since I’m new to tablet pcs, is the fujitsu T2010 pressure sensitive? I’m asking this because writing looks a whole lot better if it does. I’d also like to know if the graphics card on this is powerful enough to handle beryl/compiz-fusion for linux. This is similar to vista aero, but with more effects.
phooey thanks for the review. I am going to get one here in australia as well, believeing it could handel matlab, autocad good enough with c2d cpu.
Just wondering what screen protector do you use ? I looked at tabletpcreview fujitsu section and it seems the 3m are that great.
*arent that great
Hey everyone~ I just stopped by to ask a question… I used to use NJStar PinYin for my chinese input. But when i installed NJStar in my T2010, it doesnt function like it used to — meaning I can’t input words into programs like the internet, msn etc … but it works perfectly on One Note. I checked the NJStar website, it says it supports Windows XP but doesnt make any note of Vista; is there another chinese input program that anyone can recommend me? I can only do Cantonese Pin Yin though since my chinese level isn’t that high. Thanks in advance.
Hey Everyone — my question didnt show up when i submitted…
So i’ll just sum it up here: the NJStar Communicator 2.70 –Cantonese Pin Yin Inputer that I use doesnt work with my new T2010,, I guess its because of Vista.. it works fine with One Note but not the rest ~ internet, msn.. etc. Is there another Cantonese Inputer that anyone can recommend me? Sorry but my chinese level is not high enough for writing / Chongkit.
Hi, I’m using the 3M with the indoor screen. The sparkle is really bad. If you had any alternatives I’d be happy to try them. Anyway, one weird thing about the T2010. My Sandisk Extreme III is apparently not fast enough for readyboost with it!
You can use pen input as an option for Chinese character, as long as you have preset the Chinese language and input method under Control Panel.
Jason: if you’re feeling adventurous and don’t mind potentially voiding your warranty, there’s a thread on the tabletpcreview.com forums where someone with both the indoor and indoor/outdoor screens (two different T2010s, naturally) discovered that you can peel off the factory screen protector from the indoor screen to make it look almost as good as the indoor/outdoor (no sparkle). Thread is here: http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/showthread.php?p=72667
yeah i saw that, but it looks like it’ll also make the screen as reflective as the indoor/outdoor one. i have a friend with an IBM, and her matte screen doesn’t sparkle so i’m wondering if there are any screen protectors that can achieve this
The tablet will look very odd if we remove the battery. With this kind of design, I guess we have to leave the battery with the tablet all time. Frequently charging the battery in the full will shorten the battery’s life. I wonder Fujitsu is selling any dummy casing to fill out the space for those who are using the tablet mostly at the office desk.
For those who could read Chinese, the links may interest you…
http://www.pconline.com.cn/notebook/testing/J_Korea/fushitong/0708/1085602_1.html
http://www.pconline.com.cn/notebook/testing/J_Korea/fushitong/0708/1085602_4.html
Thanks for sharing.
Hi every one,
Any one experienced the ‘space’ key problem ? I found it troublesome when the space key (right side) has intermittent problem.
Could anyone confirm that it is possible to use unmatched memory sizes, i.e. 1GB in one slot and 2GB in the other ? Also are these “200 pin” modules ? Just want to be sure before I order more memory.
Hi, I brought a T2010 yesterday, and found that I lost the administrator key, and now can’t recover the Vista. What can I do?
Winkie
Hmm…there seems to be a number of software (gonna cost u) out there that claim that they can help you to recover the key. Check them out, I googled and couple came up. Some have a trial use so you can check them out,
http://www.lostpassword.com/windows.htm
http://pcwin.com/software/Vista_Recovery/index-1.htm
http://www.bestvistadownloads.com/software/t-free-windows-key-download-kaegoucg.html
hope this helps.
Hi Hongkongphooey,
Thanks for the nice review on the T2010. From the way the AC connector wobbles, I tend to believe that it was intentionally designed to be flexible such that it does not damage the connector when let’s say you are using the T2010 on your lap and the AC plug rub against your clothings etc. Because I think the way we use the tablet is a lot more “hands on” than a normal notebook, it catches to your clothes (e.g. sleeves) a lot easier, so I think the Fujitsu engineers are probably being very thoughtful here. Imagine if it is not flexible it will hook onto something a lot easier. Just my two cents.
Brian
Thanks Brian for sharing your insight.
Hi Chris,
Yes, 1 x 1GB + 1 x 2GB is a valid combination.
Yes, they are standard 200 pins DDR2-667 SO-SIMM.
Mr. T
Hi Jerome @ comment 1,
Vista Business can be downgraded to XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 legally. You can get a copy from the reseller. They can even downgraded it for you.
Mr. T
Hi Vivian @ comment 23,
The difference between running 2 memory modules on single channels and dual channels in T2010 is very little. Please refer to the following web page for details: http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/10/17/parallel_processing/page15.html
2GB is enough for Vista unless many memory hungry windows are opened at the same time. Memory usage can be checked using “CPU/Memory Meter” gadget of Vista Sidebar.
Mr. T
Hi Dan@ comment 26,
Express Card to PC Card (also known as PCMCIA) adaptor is available. The PC Card slot in T2010 is actually a plus instead of a minus, because both sizes can be used.
Most Express Cards are USB inside so the bottleneck is on the USB not on the PC Card.
Mr. T
Hi Calvin @ comment 28,
The shock sensor and the hard disk are two seperate components. When the sensor detects any excessive movement in any 3 dimensions (X, Y and/or Z), the sensor send a command to stop the hard disk. You can upgrade the hard disk without affecting the shock sensor.
Auto calibation is performed when turning on the T2010, but manual calibation is requested if you change the position of T2010 e.g. from Flat to Horizontal or Vertical. Otherwise, fault alert will be sounded.
Mr. T
Do you need the docking station to get resolutions beyond 1600 x 1200?
I would like one if I could use either a usb to vga converter, or possibly something like the Tritton SEE2.
Do you know if this is possible?
I forgot to include that this is meant for a setup for two external monitors and the laptop
Fujitsu T2010 SIM Card.
The SIM Card inthe Fujitsu T2010 is for the ATT Broadband Service using built in 3G, HSUPA. This is available in the United States and Europe and requires that you sign up and pay for the Service. When you do the ATT 3G service, the SIM card gets activated.
I am going to buying the T2010 is July and have been doing the research.
Hello Kitty
I am trying to decide between the Fujitsu T2010 and the HP2710p. I will mainly be using it in slate mode (almost no keyboarding). The latch issue is driving me crazy. Is there a latch or not? If not then does the screen stay down with the 9-cell battery?
The latch is really the deciding issue left. I want to get as close as possible to a slate! The HP seems to look nicer in pictures. I haven’t seen either in person.
Thank’s,
philip
May I ask does your 2GB version of the T2010 comes with 2x1GB RAM or 1x2GB RAM?
This is because the store (Tai Lam) offers a free upgrade of 1GB RAM (i.e. from 2GB to 3GB).
Hmm… I didn’t upgrade my ram therefore do not know why ram configuration it is but I would suspect it to be 2X1GB Ram.