Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Today I bought a Fujitsu T4210

more photos soon.


I was so excited about this news that I couldn't help but post some photos. My new Fujitsu T4210 arrived today thanks to Australian Tablet PC Distributor Tegatech Australia and their new partnership with Fujitsu PC Australia.

I decided to unwrap the box and take photos of the event. I don't know about you but the shear adrenaline that surrounds an "unboxing" is awesome. Ever since seeing the T4210 I was enamored, so when the delivery man left the device with my wife earlier today I couldn't help but let you all know.

BTW this doesn't mean I am not a Slate man anymore, I kept the Sahara i215. This device, thanks to Microsoft OneNote 2007 Beta (and its ability to synchronize over multiple PCs), will become my notepad and paper, while the Fujitsu LifeBook T4210 will be my saving grace!

I love Tablets!!! [talk about putting my money where my mouth is; and no this is not a freebie, I paid for it after much deliberation.]

10 comments:

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hi Gordon,

You've basically thrown all the burning issues into one blog comment.;-)

When it comes to Tablet PC and Vista I think the choice is easy; don't be afraid to buy now but make sure that the Tablet you're considering is Vista ready. In this market currently the Fujitsu T4210 and the Toshiba M400 (and believe it ot not the Samsung Q1 has had a lot of success running Vista - including some glass effects).

Convertible vs. Slate is a query that I deal with often. As a strategy the slate will always make you a better "inker." Because the keyboard is not available you'll find that mastering the pen becomes a mission, rather than a chore. When it comes to convertibles I am currently revising my initial opinion, which was something like "only a Slate is a true Tablet." Since the release of UMPC my current artillery of Tablets has been cut back to two (for business use) that consist of an EO Ultra Mobile PC, for notetaking, and my new Fujitsu T4210 as my main PC.

The reason I favour this setup is that Microsoft OneNote 2007 Beta 2 allows me to synchronise my notes over several PCs. This is a new feature of the Beta and a compelling one for UMPC. Now my UMPC can attend all my meetings and replace pen & paper, while my Core Duo Fuji acts as "big daddy" machine for all my more "processor" laborious tasks.

Getting a Tablet is easy, it's living without it after you own one that is the problem.

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hi gordon,

Don't worry about the Spam effect - we're on a good thing if your questions are getting answered. I have better things to do than sit here and answer comments all night, but the fact is that I'm addicted to the community. Helping answer Tablet related queries is about the most enjoyable past time I have ;-)

Back to the issue at hand:

Replacing a T60p is an arduous task in the Tablet space. The only devices that come close are the M400 and the T4210. The main difference between the two is the graphics capabilities, i.e. stronger on the M400.

I hear you on the Pen front. When I was given a look at my first ever Tablet I realised just how useful it could be (and inevitably became). The pen feature allows notetaking, annotating on PDF and pictures, transcribing notes, and converting to text on the fly. The price premium (that once existed) is at a point where Tablet is no longer considered expensive. The take-up is on the rise and rightly so.

What to buy!!! My scenario involves a two tablet setup. This is a key distinction you should make when deciphering my feedback. I could not run a single Tablet artillery anymore as I really don't want to lug my Fuji into all my meetings. What I like about my current setup is the mobility I've gained, vs. the portability I used to have. True mobility means I can walk into a meeting with the UMPC and walk out and synchronize. The key to the future in my eyes is synchronisaion. As multi-pc setups become more popular you'll find that Tablet PC sales will experience a real spike. Vista, via its Sync Centre, has taken a huge leap towards Synchronization Happiness.

If I were you I'd make the leap - it sounds like you're ready. I bought the T4210, and really had to put my money where my mouth is. I'll be posting a video review soon but until then why don’t you look at this review of its predecessor, the T4020.

My take is that you’re looking for an increase in your productivity, not just functionality. Tablet has given me more features to “play” with that have translated to an increase in “productivity” and inevitably a win/win overall.

Keep up the fight Gordon…

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Sorry about the delay in response but you were right about the time over here, and yes I did go to sleep.

Whatever has happened thanks to blogs and podcasts seems only to favor us all. Being a fan is not anything to be ashamed of, but on the contrary, it's a reflection of the times and the way in which we want our information disseminated. :-)

Let me know how your thoughts are going and if there is anything else I can do for you. If it’s a slate you are after I’d definitely buy the Motion LS1600, Sahara i215 Slate PC, or Fujitsu ST5032 – then you’ll be productive, and a real head turner too! Cheers Gordon…

Links are to AU sites but I'm sure you can find the USA sites yourself

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hi Gordon,

B'Day party prep is a chore but the fruits of your labour seem to have been realised in full glory! ;-)

The Shara should be on your radar as an Ultra Funky Tablet PC. Regrettably it is not Vista compliant at this moment in time (due mostly to a BIOS update that is required) but should become Vista capable by the time your journey gets closer to parting with cash.

The Blogger that mentioned the Touch LS1600 with Vista/Pen/Touch is my mate, Criag Pringle. He is a Tablet PC MVP and worth maintaining on your RSS dial. These computers are the future in Tablet in that offering touch and pen will have massive ramifications on your productivity, i.e. an increase.

RC1 of Vista is due soon and OEM's have been playing with retail SKU's for several months now. Hold your breath as it looks like Vista will be available in the not too distant future.

Go to bed mate!!! :-)

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hi Gordon,

B'Day party prep is a chore but the fruits of your labour seem to have been realised in full glory! ;-)

The Shara should be on your radar as an Ultra Funky Tablet PC. Regrettably it is not Vista compliant at this moment in time (due mostly to a BIOS update that is required) but should become Vista capable by the time your journey gets closer to parting with cash.

The Blogger that mentioned the Touch LS1600 with Vista/Pen/Touch is my mate Criag Pringle. He is a Tablet PC MVP and worth maintaining on your RSS dial. These computers are the future in Tablet in that offering touch and pen will have massive ramifications on your productivity, i.e. an increase.

RC1 of Vista is due soon and OEM's have been playing with retail SKU's for several months now. Hold your breath as it looks like Vista will be available in the not too distant future.

Go to bed mate!!! :-)

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

I can't stop using mine!

Anonymous said...

Hugo - thanks for your blog - it really has inspired me to get into a slate - I like the Sahara however, two things make me hesitate. One is whether there is going to be a duo core slate released anytime soon - talk of vista makes me think that more processing power is going to be needed and the second is that its a shame that the Sahara doesn't have a PCMCIA slot - so that means a Toshiba M400. It is areal shame when a few hardware issues push you away from where you want to go!

Regards Robert

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hi Robert,

Thank you for your kinds words - it means a lot to me given that blogging occurs in and around everything else I do during the day.

In regards to the Sahara I do feel your pain. I cannot confirm that a CoreDuo Sahara will/or will not be available. What I can say is that CoreDuo does make a difference. For me personally by moving to a two-tablet artillery I have now become more productive.My Fujitsu T4210 gives me the opportunity to replace my desktop (run Vista) and function quickly, while my EO has replaced any need (almost) for a pen and paper.

It's an exciting time to be part of the community and part of Tablet in general. You'll never regret a M400/T4210 purchase [AS LONG AS, AND THIS GOES TO EVERYONE OUT THERE, AS LONG AS YOU USE THE PEN FEATURES].

Hugo Gaston Ortega said...

Hi Dr. Gordon, LOL

I've paired my balckberry via USB cable and used it as a modem and your comment really cracked me up - it was exactly what it looked like. hahaha


1024 resolution is a pain but for me but normally I’m projecting onto a 23” or 19” (depending where I’m sitting) monitor. I think the Sahara is the ultimate in ergonomics and does not have a competitor in those stakes. It is painful without PCMCIA but my belief is that this is a dying form factor. As we get closer to HSDPA networks you’ll see new devices hit the street including CF (again).

The sheer bulkiness and voltage of PCMCIA has to rule it out for the future. With battery life being a major issue on smaller devices you’ll even find more people leaning to Bluetooth, as I have! Bluetooth means that the paired device also carries some form of battery-loading, i.e. share the consumption of power on its own.

If you look at my Motorola A1000 3G phone when paired with my EO V7110 I actually get better life out of my EO, compared to when I use a plug in card.

Anonymous said...

I also own a T4210 and I love it. Their are 2 major concerns. It is small, and when I mean small, i mean SMALL. The screen is minuscule but that is ok. The other thing is that it has barely any graphic power. If you are interested in playing most any 3d games, your gonna have to use a different computer.