Fujitsu u810 reviewed- great screen, not so great keyboard
The Fujitsu Lifebook u810 UMPC seems a bit schizophrenic. It looks like a full convertible Tablet PC but the tiny size belies that. Laptop Magazine has reviewed this unique UMPC and seemed to like the device overall. The 5.6-inch screen is lovely and the 5 hour battery impressed the reviewer. The only part of the u810 that didn’t fit the bill? The tiny keyboard:
The small keyboard takes some getting used to. It’s too small for regular typing but too big for thumb typing, which means you need to set the system down and peck with your pointers. We don’t mind that for quick e-mails, but we certainly didn’t have the patience to type this review on it. The small keyboard is to be expected, but packing as many as three functions on a key is too much. Also, the Tab key is combined with the too-small space bar, and there’s no right-Shift key. The function commands are combined with the number keys, and–our biggest gripe–the arrow keys require the function command to work, since they’re combined with the period and backslash keys.
Overall the review has pretty good things to say about the Fujitsu u810 so if you’re interested in it go read what they have to say.
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Okay, seriously, this has gone too far.
Yes, a keyboard narrower than ~9 inches isn’t great for two-handed touch typing. I think the entire Wee Gadget market segment gets that by now.
Can we *please* get someone testing these devices who can actually figure out how to touch type one-handed? The Toshiba Libretto and Kohjinsha SA-1 are perfect for that, and I can only imagine that it would work decently on the U810.
(I would note, however, that Fujitsu can’t make a decent keyboard layout on any first-generation product. Every early P-series laptop I’ve used (P1000, P2000, P7120, and P1510) were nigh unusable, while the later ones (P72xx, P1610) were incredibly well designed. The U810, with its lack of dedicated Function keys and no Tab key, will probably be no different.
OK this is a little bit picky of me so apologies up front – but James could you loose the “Schizophrenic” quote please. I think you mean that the u810 “can’t make up it’s mind” and not that it hears voices or has delusional episodes. For the people I assist, having to explain schizophrenia time and again can be the hardest part of the illness.
On the keyboard – I agree with Chris K on the point of needing a specific test. But may be on a few fronts – e.g. one handed typing, “touch typing” and thumb board style. As we all use devices differently – maybe a quick sentence or two on a couple of input “styles” on the keyboard could be illuminating?