Notebook Trends

For under $1000, the thin-and-light 14-inch widescreen Fujitsu LifeBook S7211 is one real sweet deal of a notebook that you would love to get your hands on. In the notebook/laptop field, Japanese computer maker Fujitsu has been coming out with some nifty products that exude quality, and the beautiful LifeBook S7211 is no exception.

For a product with some great features, the price is reasonable. If you have a close eye on budget, the LifeBook S7211 offers cost-conscious small and medium size businesses an easy way to stay on budget without compromising on performance or reliability.

Pricing starts at $899 and ranges up to around $1100 depending on options, according to Fujitsu.

There’s a 120GB hard drive, support for up to 4 GB of RAM (base configs have 1 GB), combo drives or dual-layer DVD writers, 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, gigabit Ethernet, a 1.3 megapixel Webcam, three USB 2,.0 ports, an ExpressCard slot, and a media card slot.

What’s more, the dual-layer burner sits in a modular expansion bay, which allows it to be removed and replaced with either an additional battery or an empty shell to reduce weight.

An integrated webcam centered above the display and stereo microphones provide quality videoconferencing for distance learning or training. Connectivity is superior with the Atheros Super AG(R) 802.11a/b/g WLAN offering up to 108 Mbps transfer rate when connected with Super AG-routers or gateways.

The notebook’s 14-inch display offers a 1,280 by 800 -pixel resolution, and the system supports simultaneous display on an external monitor at resolutions up to 1,600 by 1,200 pixels.

The LifeBook S7211 notebook can be configured with either a 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2330 or a 1.5 GHz Intel Core 2 T5250 processors, and offers Intel’s GMA X3100 graphics.

(Special note: If you’re residing in Malaysia, the LifeBook S7211 has a version that comes with the cheaper Intel Pentium dual-core processor T2330. It costs RM2,999 but is now on special offer at RM2,599. The upper end version which costs RM3,499 is now selling for RM3,199).

The systems are available with either Windows Vista Business or XP Professional.

Fujitsu has established itself as the clear Wintel laptop leader for reliability and customer satisfaction, according to PC Magazine’s 20th annual Reader Satisfaction Survey.