Forget The Zaurus - Itś Fujitsu Time!

[kahm]

I still have one major question-
don't know if you can answer it though

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"is it pocketable???"
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From mockups I've made, it appears that with the standard battery
its just a little too big to fit in my pocket;
however my mockups have hard square edges,
while the real device has rounded and softer ones.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who makes scale mockups of these devices  I"ve got a cardboard U8240, Sony UX, and Raon Digital Everrun sitting around here...

I'm fairly sure it *won't* be a comfortable fit (not nearly so nice as the Z)
but I'm still hanging out a measure of hope that it might barely work.

Can you (dare you?) try fitting it in any of your largest available pockets
to check out the prospects? (maybe after the STD battery arrives...)

OTOH, I should remember that when I've tried pocketable devices larger than a Z
I've been much more reluctant to carry them about- from encumberance.

I'm on the verge of buying a FlipStart
Seems.... rather inferior to a Fujitsu, but more pocket shaped by far.

Logic suggests that one wait for the "next generation" ultra-mobiles
but there seems no real guarantee that "next generation" will be
any more pocket friendly.

The Flipstart is *way* overpriced for what you get.

The Fujitsu is built on Intel's mobile platform 2007. The Mobile Platform 2008 is supposed to produce pocketable devices - they'll be slower, and most will be running a linux distribution, but definitely pocketable. I'd hold off dropping a couple grand on a flipstart until then. Or get a Raon.

The Fuji doesn't lend itself well to pockets. I don't have any jacket pockets big enough for one, and it isn't as sturdy as the Z, either.

[maxg]

I bought one of those U8240 a few weeks ago (thanks Google Summer of Code...)
It is an impressive device, without a doubt ; but I wouldn't say it fits the same category as the Zaurus.

It really isn't a pocketable device ; at least you won't feel confortable with it in any pocket.
However, it is well suited to be carried in a bag and used as a tiny and lightweight laptop.
The CPU is very impressive. You can play virtually any video without a glitch, even run most 3+ year old games. And since it's a x86 device, you have an unlimited supply of software. Otherwise, the wifi is quite good (except when used in tablet mode, probably because the antena is near the screen) ; I like the trackpoint a lot too.

However, what truly lacks is the instant suspend/resume feature, which rules out the title of Zaurus killer (beside the size).

Fortunately, I think the x86 familiy has made so much progress (size and power-consumption wise) that we might expect Z-footprint x86 devices soon.

[speculatrix]

However, what truly lacks is the instant suspend/resume feature, which rules out the title of Zaurus killer (beside the size).
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I think getting suspend/resume working perfectly is tricky but doable under linux, and either works pretty much perfectly or not at all with windows!

The snag is that the suspend mode on PCs is probably a bit too power hungry to allow you to keep it suspended all the time and only charge up every other day or so? Please correct me if wrong!

[maxg]

You're right. A suspended laptop will run out of battery pretty fast (maybe 15-20% per day, but it depends on many things, e.g how much RAM is plugged)

[tml]

You're right. A suspended laptop will run out of battery pretty fast (maybe 15-20% per day, but it depends on many things, e.g how much RAM is plugged)
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Are you talking about suspend to RAM or suspend to disk (which requires, other than the zaurus, no power at all, but which Windows in general does very well). Suspend to RAM isn't a very precise term either as there are different states.

[maxg]

As far as I know, suspend usually means suspend to RAM (i.e the ACPI S3 state, sometimes called "sleep"). Suspend to disk (i.e "hibernate") works fine on Windows ; however it is a lot slower because the system has to write the contents of the RAM to the disk. On the Fuji, there is 1 GB RAM, it takes 20 seconds to dump or load the RAM, which isn't too bad but still a lot more than the 1 second or so to resume a Zaurus from suspend.

[speculatrix]

a nice review with pictures and size comparisons:

http://www.geardiary.com/2007/09/13/quick-...lifebook-u1010/

I think I definitely one want... so long as it's the full version with bluetooth and wifi, and webcam if possible, and even the 3G data option!

Oh yeah, and wimax, and DVB-T, and an espresso machine

-- edit --
hmmm, I didn't realise the keyboard how much the keyboard was crippled - in an effort to keep the keys large they cut their number down - even the tab is shared. the one thing we keep coming back to is having a full layout. so, the kohjinsha here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silicondepend...57594417554369/
whilst somewhat bigger does seem so much better for that. sigh. now I can't make my mind up any more. I really wanted to sell my Sony TX2 and trade for a Fujitsu but now...

[speculatrix]

just seen Fujitsu announce its sale US$1000 or US$1100 with full vista business and office instead of Works.

http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce...able_092007-959

[kahm]

a nice review with pictures and size comparisons:

http://www.geardiary.com/2007/09/13/quick-...lifebook-u1010/

I think I definitely one want... so long as it's the full version with bluetooth and wifi, and webcam if possible, and even the 3G data option!

Oh yeah, and wimax, and DVB-T, and an espresso machine

-- edit --
hmmm, I didn't realise the keyboard how much the keyboard was crippled - in an effort to keep the keys large they cut their number down - even the tab is shared. the one thing we keep coming back to is having a full layout. so, the kohjinsha here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silicondepend...57594417554369/
whilst somewhat bigger does seem so much better for that. sigh. now I can't make my mind up any more. I really wanted to sell my Sony TX2 and trade for a Fujitsu but now...
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=167452\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

The way I solved the key problem was easy. I usd a key remapping program to swap the fn+(.[]\) for the arrow keys. Because I didn't want to lose the dedicated period key I also remapped the Japanese key to the right of the spacebar to (.), an:d the key to the left of the spacebar to tab. Combine that with sticky keys. and suddenly the keyboard works quite well. Fortunately the US "Darth Vader" model still has those two keys, but I don't know what they do. (I have't seen a. high res pictur of the keyboard yet)

A friend of mine might purchase the Vader, so I'll get to compare them.

I still use the Z for my mobile data entry, but everything more complex than typing in a text file gets done on the Fuji. (In fact, I'm posing this off the fuji right now. I'm. still being thrown by the fact that my 3000 with pdaXii13 needs to shift to get a comma, but the Fuji doesn't  I'm not yet very practiced at typing on this thing yet, but it is coming along. I may eventually be able to drop the Z completely. If the Fuji were pocketable I would in a flash, but I'll have to wait .for next year's MID devices for that. )

[kahm]

-- edit --
hmmm, I didn't realise the keyboard how much the keyboard was crippled - in an effort to keep the keys large they cut their number down - even the tab is shared. the one thing we keep coming back to is having a full layout. so, the kohjinsha here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/silicondepend...57594417554369/
whilst somewhat bigger does seem so much better for that. sigh. now I can't make my mind up any more. I really wanted to sell my Sony TX2 and trade for a Fujitsu but now...
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=167452\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

I just noticed that that was my photo you linked to   My friend with the Kohjinsha is coming over today so Ill retake that one with the Fujitsu added in.

And, for the record, the Fuji's keyboard is much nicer to thumbtype on than the Kohjinsha's

[zmiq2]

I'm planning on getting one of these. After such a time, what are your impressions/recommendations on this unit?

[kahm]

I haven't been back here for weeks, so I think it's funny that you're asking this now.

Sorry - haven't been back here in a while.

I'm increasingly fond of the Fuji. Battery life with the large battery is good (~5hrs). The keyboard layout on the Japanese model is easier to remap than the American one, but the Japanese one lacks BT and the Camera. The Zaurus is more comfortable for long sessions of typing, but I have no trouble writing anything short of a novel on the Fuji. It has plenty of power for pretty much anything I'd want to do, but I do recommend XP over Vista. Browsing is great as well. It isn't pocketable, but I find it large enough for general tasks, and small enough that it's easy to pack. I'm definitely going to be keeping it going forward.

Hope that helps...

[zmiq2]

Thanks for the response; it has given me the definitive argument to go on with the purchase.

I'll be switching my htc tytn II by a cheap phone plus the fuji. The whole operation will take several weeks of ebaying, but the decision is now already made.

It is interesting the comment you make about the japanese model and keyboard remapping; I'll take a look in detail at both keyboards and make a decision then; and now that Microsoft decided to go "open source", maybe it's not so devil anymore so my little-me will allow me to use MS OS.

Thanks again

[jpmatrix]

Thanks for the response; it has given me the definitive argument to go on with the purchase.

i'm not yet totally convinced....i'm still thinking about it.......

I'll be switching my htc tytn II by a cheap phone plus the fuji. The whole operation will take several weeks of ebaying, but the decision is now already made.

why not use the tytn2 as the terrible modem ?? i was thinking about it to replace my nokia6630

by the way who have a good address to buy the Fujitsu ? (dynamism is a bit expensive!

[zmiq2]

jpmatrix:

the tytn2 is too big for just being a modem; I'll get a 3,5g usb modem for the fujitsu.

Also, the tytn2 suffers from the video driver issue (htcactionclass.org), and the low resolution screen (240x320) and the keyboard doesn't please me much. I have decided to go with the fujitsu instead.