Fujitsu's LifeBook S Series is like a fine wine: it has grown only better with age. The latest version of the LifeBook S still includes the same smart chassis that weighs just two kilos--it's one of the lightest thin-and-light notebooks around--yet still leaves room for an internal modular bay.
The laptop has also retained its fabulous battery life, superb speed, and reassuring security features such as a password panel and a smart-card reader. New to this AU$4999 configuration is an extra-cool CD-RW/DVD drive.
Pack rats who travel frequently will love the LifeBook S. That's because the 28.7 x 23.6 x 3.3cm, 2kg (base weight) notebook squeezes in a full helping of features.
For starters, it includes a 30GB hard drive and a swappable modular bay that accommodates the combo drive. In addition, the bay accepts an optional second battery (AU$449) and is backward compatible with older S Series CD and DVD drives.
The only thing that could make this design better would be if the bay also supported the included floppy drive; instead, the floppy only connects externally via one of the system's two USB ports.
Additional connectivity features include headphone, microphone, and audio-in jacks; VGA and docking ports; 56K modem and Ethernet jacks. Fujitsu didn't skimp on the screen or the keyboard layout, either.
The 13.3in active-matrix screen is especially impressive in a system of this size. The LifeBook S has four user-programmable buttons that sit between the screen and the wide, comfortable keyboard.
You can set your personal password with up to 800,000 different combinations using these buttons; the system will then request your password before it boots.
Once you're up and running, these buttons double as programmable quick-launch keys for your favourite applications. Another separate button near the touchpad lets you scroll up and down through documents.
The LifeBook S's low-voltage, 800MHz, Pentium III-M processor; ample 256MB of RAM; zippy 8MB ATI Rage Mobility M-1 graphics chip; and Windows XP Home operating system delivered solid performance in our tests.
Fujitsu doesn't just send you on your way once you have your hardware. The company backs the LifeBook S with a one-year warranty. You can also hunt for answers in Fujitsu's Service Assistant database. If these avenues lead to a dead end, try a live Web chat with a tech support rep.
A little lighter than your typical thin-and-light notebook, but faster and more powerful than your average ultraportable, the Fujitsu LifeBook S Series is an excellent choice for mobile users who don't want to make any compromises.
| Product: | Fujitsu Lifebook S Series |
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| Price: | AU$4999 |
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| Vendor: | Fujitsu |
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| Phone: | 1800 288 283 |
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| Interoperability: |  800MHz Pentium III-M processor; 256MB RAM; 8MB ATI Rage Mobility M-1 graphics chip; and Windows XP. |
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| Futureproofing: |  Great battery life, speed and reassuring security features. |
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| ROI: |  Easily outperforms most ultra light portables. |
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| Service: |  One-year warranty, phone 1800 288 284. |
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| Rating: |  |
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