Fujitsu Siemens Computers LIFEBOOK P7230

A surge in consumer interest in feature-rich mobile solutions brought to life new types of devices, such as UMPCs, which combine functionality of personal computers with a compact form factor. However, classic ultraportable notebooks continue to evolve as well, and Fujitsu Siemens LIFEBOOK P7230 is the proof. The key highlight of this model is its top-notch communication features. Along with the standard LAN/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, the notebook is also equipped with built-in UMTS/HSDPA (compatible with GSM/GPRS). And an integrated web camera with microphones will help you use broadband lanes to their full extent. All of these make P7230 one of the most feature-rich product in its class. Add to this a 3cm (1.18") thick stylish body, smaller than an A4 sheet of paper and lighter than 1.5 kg.

The P7230 comes in the configuration specified in the table. Note that FSC plans to overhaul the P7230. The new modification will use Intel Core Duo U2500 1.20 GHz processor, a web camera of higher resolution, a new UMTS, and a battery of higher capacity.

This hardware configuration is typical of ultraportable notebooks. The ultra-low voltage processor allows to prolong battery life and still provides sufficient performance in business applications. The Intel Core Solo U1400 is practically the cheapest product in its family, but it easily copes with most office tasks. Intel 945GMS chipset offers special power management features, it's optimized for ultraportable notebooks. In particular, it supports ULV processors and only one memory slot.

Even though the memory works in the single-channel mode, DDR2 533 MHz memory is fast enough to feed data to a processor in time. You can now find 2 GB SODIMM memory modules in stores, so you can upgrade your memory capacity to this limit.

Ultraportable notebooks usually use integrated graphics. The P7230 is not an exception. Intel GMA 950 easily copes with Vista Aero, and it performs well in all other tasks, except for 3D games.

The 10.6'' 1280x768 panel is equipped with LED backlight. This combination leads to a very small pixel size, so you should keep it in mind, when you choose a notebook.

This notebook offers state-of-the-art communication features - a gigabit network controller, 802.11a/b/g controller, Bluetooth adapter, UMTS/GSM modem. There is no room left for the analog modem and an infrared port. However, it's not relevant, as the notebook is equipped with a cellular modem and Bluetooth. Please note that the notebook uses a gigabit version of the network controller - it ensures fast data synchronization with an office server and quick backup procedures. Even though the new wireless standard (802.11n) is still in beta stage, there already appear real products. In this case FSC decided not to rush things and wait until the standard is approved in order to offer a hundred-per-cent compatible solution to clients.

The UMTS/GSM works well in our parts. We've tested it with a Moscow provider - MTS. Data transfer rates were not very high, though.

Dimensions and positioning of the notebook dictated the choice of a hard drive - 1.8'' hard drive from Toshiba. Lower spindle speed than in popular 2.5'' hard drives is practically unnoticeable to users. In return, twice as low power consumption makes a significant contribution to battery life. The notebook is equipped with an accelerometer, which raises reliability of the hard drive in case of emergency.

Despite the compact dimensions, the notebook has a built-in multiformat optical drive. The MATSHITA UJ-842S supports all DVD and CD formats, including double-layer discs and DVD-RAM. Maximum DVD speed is 8x, CD - 24x.

The audio system is based on the HDA codec from SigmaTel. Built-in stereo speakers provide only basic functionality. You'd better use high-quality headphones or a Bluetooth headset for music and movies. If you need to output multi-channel sound, you will have to use S/PDIF on the port replicator. Two microphones are used in the notebook to raise quality in voice applications - we have already seen a similar solution in the Q2010.

A VGA web camera is built into the upper part of the display frame. Unfortunately, we failed to determine the manufacturer. In sufficient lighting conditions the camera works well enough, so you can participate in video conferences, for example, using Skype.

Additional ports for SD/MS/xD cards are based on a chip made by Ricoh. This manufacturer is also selected for the FireWire controller.

As far as configuration peculiarities are concerned, we can mention the lack of the Express Card slot, which may become useful in the nearest future. On the other hand, configuration of this notebook is so perfect that it does not need external devices for the majority of tasks.