PRODUCTIVITY is often a deceiving word. Dictionary.com defines productivity as “having the power of producing; generative; creative; a productive effort”.

In today’s world, that generally means the ability to access e-mail and work anytime, anywhere. This means that you would have a mobile computing platform on standby and not cook up excuses such as it is too heavy to lug around.

Size then becomes the operative word. The device should be small enough so it is easy to lug around, and big enough that it fits a full-sized Qwerty keyboard.

A case in point: The Fujitsu Lifebook U2010 is so small that I can just slip it into my cargo pants pocket and only take it out when going through immigration and security checks at airports. Yet, it is big enough for me to type a few articles (how uncomfortable it may be) or check my e-mail while waiting for a connecting flight.

The passive touch-screen measures a tiny 5.6 inches diagonally and could well be the sharpest display on the market, churning out a resolution of 1,024 by 600 pixels. At this resolution, you need to have good eyesight to even contemplate using the U2010, let alone get any real work done. Realising this shortcoming, Fujitsu has bundled in a magnifier software, but it can be annoying at times. A simple workaround is to increase the font size of the applications.

Since real estate is premium, the U2010 makes do with a pointer mouse on the top right of the hinge while the left/right mouse buttons are on the other side. You can use your finger to tap the OK button on the screen, scroll with your finger or even write directly on the screen, as it is also a passive-touch panel, making it an excellent e-book reader while lazing on the couch.

While the U2010 has a single universal serial bus (USB) port and Secure Digital and CompactFlash card slot, Fujitsu has omitted the network port, which should not be a problem unless your hotel room does not have Wi-Fi. If that occurs, a USB RJ45 network adapter and a USB hub should not be too cumbersome to pack along.

When it comes to performance, the U2010 does not score that well. You see, Windows Vista was not designed to run on such low-powered devices, and Intel never intended the Atom processor to power anything more than netbooks running either a stripped-down version of Linux or Windows XP.

Due to licensing issues with Microsoft, Fujitsu is unable to ship the U2010 with Windows XP. So, if you intend to get the U2010 and happen to have a previous copy of Windows XP lying around, the U2010 will be far more usable running Windows XP. You might lose some features, but what good are features when you cannot use them?

The U2010 also comes bundled with either global positioning system, universal mobile telecommunications system, or both GPS and UMTS connectivity. Fujitsu has even come up with additional colour choices such as pink, gold and red, apart from black.

As a company, Fujitsu has always been pushing the envelope of mobility with existing technology. As a mobile device, the U2010 is amazing – it’s small, feature-packed and the best part is, it bridges your online and offline life effortlessly.


Two screens, changing display skins

SAMSUNG Electronics Malaysia has launched its latest dual-screen clamshell, the G400.

The model offers a new graphical user interface (GUI) that provides three different options for users. You can change the interface according to your preference, and display skins are customisable with various options such as background images, fonts and colours.

In addition to an internal 2.2-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) liquid crystal display, the G400 has a 2.2-inch external touch-screen. With the external display, you can operate multimedia features without having to flip open the phone, and haptic vibration feedback is given when you use the full-touch screen.

The model is equipped with a five-megapixel camera with features such as automatic face detection, image stabiliser and wide dynamic range.
You can also enjoy fast Internet access through the 7.2-megabit-per-second High Speed Downlink Packet Access browser and share images or videos taken with the phone.
The G400 retails at RM1,499.