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Fujitsu Lifebook TH700 sneaks into their online store

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Regular reader Acerbic, in following up my review of the Fujitsu Lifebook T900, ran across a new product listing tucked into the Fujitsu site over the weekend: the Lifebook TH700.  It appears to be a consumer-oriented, entry-level Tablet PC with most of the Fujitsu amenities intact but a much lower price tag of $1149 or $1099 with mail-in rebate.

I apologize for not having found that myself and mentioning it in my review, but in digging around, I found that @shopfujitsu only tweeted it on Friday, which is when my review would have been posted had I not run into upload problems with the videos. It simply had not been announced at the time I wrote my review. Looks like I can chalk another odd coincidence to that week of hijinks.

I agree with Acerbic’s assessment that the TH700 looks a little chunky, not unlike the usual consumer-level Tablet PCs. At first glance, it does not strike me as having the same build quality and sleek feel as the T900, but that’s to be expected from what they call an “entry-level” Tablet PC.

However, it does sport all of Fujitsu’s tablet-specific features like the bi-direction swivel hinge, the sturdy flip latch, the modular bay for second battery or drive, removable dust filter, and hard drive shock sensor. In addition, it features a dual digitizer, fingerprint scanner, HDMI port, Bluetooth, 802.11BGN, and webcam with dual microphones. Only one configuration being offered, which includes an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of memory, 320GB HDD, and Intel HD Graphics.

It appears positioned as a direct competitor to the HP TouchSmart TM2. Doesn’t quite match the HP in price, but those unique Fujitsu features deserve serious consideration. Certainly that price forces me to rethink my choice for my next Tablet PC. Photo gallery on Facebook. Thanks again to Acerbic for finding this.

24 Comments

24 Comments

  1. Nameless

    06/28/2010 at 4:40 pm

    Great, another Tablet PC with a reasonable new price tag! We need more of those!

    But the TH700 still loses to the tm2 with that config, sadly. Why? ATI graphics on the tm2. The CPU doesn’t mean that much to me if the GPU can’t keep up, and so far, HP is the only one currently offering any sort of dedicated graphics option in a Tablet PC (aside from old, discontinued models whose dedicated GPUs are outclassed by the Intel GMA HD by this point).

  2. acerbic

    06/28/2010 at 5:34 pm

    I actually happened to run across this while checking the Fujitsu website to see if they sell any Stylistic any more (they don’t).

    I’m still waiting for something more portable than this, and steadily griping “why, oh why don’t HP or Fujitsu take the components of these $1000 tablets and shave off some size, weight and even cost by stuffing them into a simple slate shell?” and “why, oh why don’t any of the companies starting to make those $500 slates add just a little size, weight and cost in the form of a Wacom and pen and make them actually useful?”

    • GTaylor

      06/29/2010 at 7:11 am

      I agree with you completely. And I’d rather see the keyboard on the other side of the hinge from the main body. That way it can be detached when not wanted. The history of personal computing shows many instances of more usable products being sidelined by marketing.

    • Shogmaster

      06/29/2010 at 10:09 am

      Because going smaller than 12″ form factor requires more aggressive cooling for something more substantial than an Atom processor.

      Look, with a slate, you are sharing the same tight space for the heat dissipation of both LCD backlighting and the processors. And you make that space smaller, you can forget decent power. The last time they tried smaller than 12″ it was the HP TC1100, which had a single core CPU, and couldn’t clock over 1.2 GHz. Now you have dual core processors burning 17+ watts or wimpy Atoms that won’t give you satisfactory tablet experience…

      • acerbic

        06/29/2010 at 12:23 pm

        That would seem a plausible explanation, except for all those ultrathin laptops that manage to pack something hotter than Atom into a really small space, and if the backlight gets so toasty, how does it work in conventional laptops, all enclosed in the lid with no ventilation whatsoever?

        Perhaps you’re thinking that even a slate COMPUTER can no longer be any thicker than 0.50″, just like a toy iPod? That would no doubt be a problem and if the manufacturers think so too, all may be lost…

        I would be quite happy with a slate that’s about 1″ thick and weighs max 3 lb. I don’t see how the thermal management in something like that would require rocket science, quantum physics or alchemy.

        • Some person

          06/29/2010 at 3:49 pm

          You forgot about the price-quality-portability triangle. You either have a balance between the three, or sacrifice one for the other two. All those ultrathin and light laptops with strong computing power are very expensive.

          • acerbic

            06/29/2010 at 4:15 pm

            Yes, they are expensive, but we were not discussing that but the possible heat dissipation problem. Unless just that is making the ultrathins expensive, the expense is irrelevant to the issue.

  3. GoodThings2Life

    06/28/2010 at 6:11 pm

    OMG, look at that thing! They expect consumers to want this thing? People are consuming the iPad like it’s the water turned to wine by Jesus Christ himself, and THIS is what they’re releasing?! Good grief, I wish these companies would get their acts together!

    • Ringo

      06/29/2010 at 12:36 pm

      Some people actually want real computers, and not a fancy toy like the iPad. This thing presumably has a Wacom digitizer (the T900 has one), which means you can use it with a pressure sensitive stylus, which is great for drawing. It can run real full blown operating systems and real software.

      The iPad looks nice and is fun, but I would take the TH700 over it any day.

      • Sumocat

        06/29/2010 at 12:50 pm

        This is the second most hilarious thing I’ve seen today (and I just got 40 SIM cards from Apple). No, not your comment, Ringo, but rather than you’ve directed it at GT2L. Trust me, if you knew GT2L, you’d know why.

  4. Randall Garrett

    06/28/2010 at 7:15 pm

    Agree with acerbic!

  5. m200

    06/28/2010 at 11:06 pm

    It actually kind of looks like a geekified/skinned version of the Toshiba M200? No? Anyone?

  6. Brett Gilbertson

    06/28/2010 at 11:47 pm

    Is this not just an update of the long running T4xxx series? It’s been around for an age… and I have to say that it is an excellent convertible tablet. It’s no slate of course…

    • Sumocat

      06/29/2010 at 6:08 am

      It is updated compared to the T4xxx, but I believe it would be more accurate to describe it as a personal version of the T7xx line. I think the “H” designation stands for “Home” and it runs Windows Home Premium rather than Professional. Of course, all the T series tablets are related anyway, so we could say any update is an update of the others.

  7. POE

    07/01/2010 at 7:40 am

    As Brett indicated, this looks like an updated T4xxx. It seems to be a replacement for the T4310. Except for newer CPU and Office 2010 eval, TH700 seems to have identical specs to the T4310, including price, initial RAM, hard drive size and speed, display, LAN/wireless components, version of Windows, even the piano black color. Fujitsu store still sells T4410 new, no longer shows T4310, but does now show TH700. Also, Fujitsu service center was selling a large number of T4310s on eBay up until last week.

  8. Gordo

    07/01/2010 at 10:42 pm

    Sumocat, I just ordered one to replace my HP TX2000 and I noticed you reviewed the T900. I do photography work on the side and wanted to use the TX to show pictures on the road but HP’s glossy screens really suck for that. Do yo think the TH700 screen will be good? 200 nits and light anti-reflective coating looks to be a great feature of this unit, would you agree?

    • Sumocat

      07/02/2010 at 3:40 am

      Assuming they haven’t done anything else to muck with the display, I think it will prove adequate. With the T900, I was able to work outside with no problems except when the sun was shining directly on the screen. A bit washed in bright ambient sun but reasonably so. There are several scenes of the T900 screen in action outdoors in my T-Mobile WebConnect Rocket InkShow if you want to see for yourself, just skip to the second half.

      • Gordo

        07/02/2010 at 12:20 pm

        Thanks for the reply! As far you remember, did the 900 have the 200 or 300 nit screen? I seem to recall that some units have an option for that and that the th700 does not. It only has the 200 nit.

        • Sumocat

          07/02/2010 at 12:33 pm

          That is a good point. T900 is 300 nits so the TH700 will be dimmer. Anti-reflective coating should help with glare but not ambient light. Going to depend greatly on environment and lighting conditions.

  9. Chris Lee

    07/07/2010 at 9:30 am

    Use coupon code BACK2SKOOL to save another $100 in instant savings, in addition to the $50 MIR. Free 2-day FedEx shipping, also free 320GB portable drive or Target backpack, plus some no-interest offer via BillMe. Direct from Fujitsu Store. It’s a bit bulky but perfect for my hybrid needs plus it comes with Office 2010 Starter so pretty good deal after the savings, IMHO.

  10. Weaponx88

    02/09/2011 at 5:10 am

    I got a TH700 in October 2010 and by Feb 2011 it is going to the shop for a possible mother board failure.
    The computer just shut down on it’s own now only the power button goes on temporarily and the num/scroll lock buttons blink green.
    After talking to support the person said it was most likely a MB failure and needed to go into the shop. Lucky it’s under warranty as this was a rather expensive investment.
    Says much about the quality of this particular model as it may look nice but is very poorly made it seems.
    I am very disappointed in this purchase and will not buy another Fujitsu laptop again.
    Just a heads up to all buyers thinking of getting a fujitsu.

  11. Oval_16

    02/13/2011 at 3:22 am

    im confusing what to buy guys!pls do help me…which the best one?hp tm2 2150 or fujitsu th700????

  12. Weaponx88

    02/13/2011 at 7:50 am

    I’m pretty annoyed with Fujitsu Customer Support…….after being told my motherboard fried and needed fixing I did some more trouble shooting on my own and all it was was my battery was fully drained and just needed a charge and at the exact same time it seems as though microsoft was sending me the latest windows update. I left my TH700 plugged in and after a hour or so it booted up but also installed windows updates that were apparently downloading while it was charging???
    While charging my laptop kept trying to turn on but would immediately turn off after the scroll lock, num lock, buttons blinked green. Also the corner where the AC adapter plugs in got extremely hot…..this was all a sign according to fujitsu CS/Tech Support of a fried motherboard but I could tell the ‘unsure-ness” of her explanation and just let it charge after removing the battery for about 15 min and it is working fine now. I don’t like the fact that it completely glitches if the battery goes dead as it didn’t even work with out it in it and only on AC.
    I’ve had HP laptops and only picked this one up due to the cost and a $100 rebate……my first fijitsu.
    Never had any issues with any of my HPs…….I do hear that their tablets don’t get very good reviews though……well at least the ones I looked at. My issue at the time was price………

    • Bwo0d5

      03/19/2011 at 4:47 pm

      You should update your reviews everywhere on the web to indicate your solution. I mean everywhere I search, you have your post about your motherboard frying. It’s obvious you were not happy and had a vendetta. Not to be blamed for sure, but this is more a reflection of Fujitsu’s tech support incompetence than product quality and your reviews should reflect that to better assist shoppers. Like I said, you copied and pasted your post EVERYWHERE.

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