Fujitsu Builds Tablet PC Support Into Notebook

Includes swivel top, plus touch-screen and writing tools

By Matt Hamblen

August 8, 2005 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - Fujitsu Computer Systems Corp. today will announce a notebook PC that weighs just 2.2 lb. and can be converted into a tablet device with touch-screen and handwriting-recognition capabilities. The format is designed to appeal to users in health care and other vertical industries.
The new LifeBook P1500 will replace the P1000 model, of which more than 200,000 units have been sold globally over the past four years, said Paul Moore, director of mobile product marketing at Fujitsu's U.S. headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif.
Although the P1500 will first ship with Windows XP Professional, Fujitsu plans to also make it available with Microsoft Corp.'s Tablet PC Edition operating system by year's end, Moore said. The new model, which has a list price of $1,499, is based on a 1.2-GHz Pentium M processor and includes an 8.9-in. screen.
The older LifeBook opens like a typical notebook PC, but the P1500 can be flipped open and swiveled to convert to a tablet format. That capability is something doctors who use the P1000 have asked for, said C.A. Nix, president of Medical Practice Technologies LLC, a Cumming, Ga.-based systems integrator.
Tablet PC technology, which was introduced in late 2002, has largely remained a niche product. "Microsoft had much higher expectations for Tablet PC than materialized," said Brian O'Rourke, an analyst at In-Stat in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Nonetheless, the market for Tablet PC devices hit $1.2 billion in total sales last year, said O'Rourke. He predicted that sales will rise to $5.4 billion in 2009, as average prices for tablet devices drop well below $2,000 and more applications become available for them.
O'Rourke and other analysts said there already are a couple of ultraportable notebooks on the market that are similar in size to the P1500 but don't have its tablet capabilities.
Barry Zane, executive vice president of sales at Brandwise SSI Inc., a Lakewood, Colo.-based integrator of sales force applications, said the faster CPU in the P1500 will make it "truly a little computer." Zane noted that the P1000 sometimes takes two to four seconds to load new pages -- too slow for some applications.

Fujitsu's LifeBook P1500

Recommend Digg Twitter ShareThis

Email Print Send Feedback Reprints

Additional Resources

Xerox

Win a color printer!

By using solid ink technology only from Xerox, you could save up to 65% by printing color for the cost of black and white. Enter for a chance to WIN a PhaserTM 8860 network color printer!

Microsoft

Upgrade to Internet Explorer 8 today.

Save time and mitigate security risk. Deploy it now.

Sybase

NEXT-GENERATION MOBILITY PLATFORMS

In this white paper, IDC analyzes the role of next-generation mobile enterprise platforms as organizations seek a more strategic deployment of mobile solutions.

Learn the important issues you must consider before starting your next mobility initiative. Get your mobility white paper from IDC now, compliments of Sybase.

White Papers & Webcasts

Success Story: Allina Hospitals & Clinics
(Source: Absolute Software) With an electronic health record system spanning 11 hospitals, Allina required a way to protect 2,700 laptops. Using Computrace, Allina...

How Computrace Tracks and Secures Laptops
(Source: Absolute Software) View this flash demo to see Absolute in action. No matter where computers are connected, you can monitor installed software/hardware,...

Success Story: Grant Thornton LLP
(Source: Absolute Software) Grant Thornton needed to reduce computer loss rates and streamline IT asset management across 49 offices. The company used Computrace...

Managing Laptops Outside the Office
(Source: Absolute Software) In this webinar, learn how you can reduce costs by tracking mobile computers no matter where they are located. Featuring...

Secure Mobility with Absolute Software
(Source: Absolute Software) Absolute Software allows you to centrally manage computers and mobile devices via any internet connection. In this product overview, learn...

Usability Is Everything
Learn what sets Workday's HR and Payroll solutions apart from the competition....

The Human Factor in Laptop Encryption
(Source: Absolute Software) This Ponemon Institute whitepaper examines the behavior of non-IT employees when it comes to encryption policy. It shows that many...

The Value of Real SaaS at Workday
Cost savings, speed to value, and innovation brought to the enterprise by Workday's software-as-a-service solutions for HR and Payroll....

Intelligent Client-Side Defense for Stolen Computers by Intel® and Absolute
(Source: Absolute Software) The combination of Absolute's SaaS-based computer tracking and Intel's hardware-based Anti-Theft technology gives you an unprecedented level of theft deterrence...

SaaS at Flextronics, Inc.
Dave Smoley, CIO of Flextronics, discusses the real value of software-as-a-service and why he chose Workday for his HR solution....

All White Papers | All Webcasts