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Fujitsu unveiled an ultramobile PC that's small enough to fit in a jacket pocket.
The machine will first be promoted to corporate users as a secondary PC, suitable for people who need a small, lightweight machine for when they are out of the office. At the Fujitsu Forum event in Tokyo I got a chance to try out the machine, which Fujitsu said is the smallest such PC in its class.
First impressions are of a small, lightweight machine that should be able to handle most demands of its target users but which is missing a few features, such as Bluetooth or a second shift key, that might cause a hassle for some.
The FMV-U8240 is based on Intel's "McCaslin" ultramobile PC platform that was launched at last month's Intel Developer Forum in Beijing and will be available in three versions. All are based on the "Stealey" microprocessor running at 800MHz and come with a 20GB hard-disk drive (a 40GB drive is available as an option). The base version runs Windows XP Professional and has 512MB of memory, the second version packs 1GB of memory and the high-end version combines 1GB of memory with Windows Vista Business.
The 5.6-inch display panel has a touchscreen that can be operated by a stylus or finger, and there's a 56-key keyboard with 14-millimeter key pitch (the distance from one key to the center of the next). The keyboard can be operated with thumbs while the user holds each edge of the machine, so its possible to type while standing. However there's only one shift key so it might be difficult to enter some letters.
A potentially useful touch is two lights situated just above the keyboard that can provide some illumination in low light.
A mouse pointer is located just below the hinge on the right-hand side of the lower half of the computer and the mouse buttons lie opposite on the left-hand side. I found the mouse quite sensitive and the cursor frequently overshot its intended position but that is something that users will likely get used to in a short time.
The machine comes with a wireless LAN adapter but no Bluetooth support. That means you'll be left messing around with a cable should you need to make a connection via a cell phone. There is an SD card slot and a Compact Flash slot, which can be used for a plug-in cellular modem, Fujitsu said.
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