Coffee break- writing with the Fujitsu P1620

It's still a great day to be out and about so after having some lunch and getting some things done at the house I had to head back out to the Starbucks I found this morning.  OK, I'll admit that it is largely an excuse to be out cruising with the top down in this perfect convertible weather.  This time I decided to get a good comparison of working with the Fujitsu P1620 in the same conditions I experienced with the HP Mini-Note this morning so the Fuji is what I brought with me this time.  I've been working for an hour and I can easily say that while I can touch type fine on the small Fuji keyboard it is nowhere near as comfortable nor as fast as the Mini's keyboard.  It is a tad narrower than the Mini keyboard and it is definitely harder to type with it as a result.  I am using the V740 modem with the Verizon EVDO network and I do like that the Fuji PC Card slot is on the left of the unit which keeps the modem out of my way while mousing.  The Fuji is a great performer with its Core 2 Duo processor and 2 GB of memory but for typical web work and writing it provides largely the same experience as the work session earlier with the Mini.  This point is significant when you remember that the Mini is 1/3 the price of this Fuji.

Comments

[Arthur]

Am I missing something? Sure the Fuji is more expensive but it clearly can be used in a greater number of ways and situations than the HP because it is a tablet pc. So while the two may have equal utility in one or more situations, the Fuji clearly can be used in ways the HP can not. Whether this added functionality is worth the additional cost is a question only each individual user can answer.

[James Kendrick]

You're not missing anything. I love my P1620 and have said so numerous times. I did want to point out that in this particular usage scenario the HP Mini-Note is as good or better however. And that's what I did. I didn't make any suggestions that one should buy one or the other for this.

[Arthur]

I think the implication of your final two sentences is that given the equal utility of the devices in this one usage scenario and the cost differential between the two devices that the HP comes out on top. For some people that would be true. I simply wanted to point out that the significance of the cost differential is obviously diminished when you consider the greater functionality of the Fuji. Of course, if you do not need a tablet pc then the cost differential is significant.

[Giora]

James,

just to get an idea- can you please let me know what is the size of each letter cap of the Fuji? I am currently using iBook where the size of each letter on the keyboard is 1.8 cm X 1.8 cm ( the whole part) and the narrower part where you actually put your finger is 1.4 X 1.4cm.

Can you please give me an idea what's the Fuji caps size is?

Thanks!

[kevinsneel]

For all those who want the tablet functionality of the Fuji, but don't need the power of the P1620, Fujitsu Computer Store is still dumping p1610's on EBay with full warranty, going for $800 or so...

By the way, I'm writing this on my own Fujitsu Computer Store p1610 which I absolutely love...

[Wiley Johnson]

So, James, What kind of convertible do you drive?
..wiley
NW Houston

[nomo]

Giora: The P1620 has a 16 mm key pitch. I think it's fair to say the P16 keyboard is on the lower limit of usability for touch-typing.

James: I assume the P1620 is more responsive than the HP. Based on your experience with the P1610, how does it compare to the 1.6 GHz Mini-Note with repect to practical operating speed (not necessarily CPU clock speed)?

[James Kendrick]

Wiley, here it is:

http://www.jkontherun.com/2007/07/goodbye-sally-h.html

[DH]

Hi enjoying the coverage of the P1620: waiting for the moment you make me regret my decision to go with the P100 instead :).

[James Kendrick]

nomo, obviously the Fujitsu performance is much better overall with the Core 2 Duo. For CPU intensive stuff it is much faster but for typical web work and the like it is not that much better as soft CPU tasks can be performed by any processor OK.

[Kamall]

Would you be able to perform performance and possibly battery benchmarks with the 2133 vs P1620? Thanks.

[James Kendrick]

Kamall, running such benchmarks would take hours and not yield very useful information in my opinion because they are two very different devices in both components and pricing.

I can tell you that I am consistently getting 4 - 4.5 hours of battery life on the HP Mini-Note and 4.5 - 5 hours on the P1620. This is real-world battery life doing the things that I normally do and utilizing power-management.

Performance-wise there is no point running benchmarks comparing a Via processor with an Intel Core 2 Duo. The Intel would obviously blow the Via away as expected. In real-world work doing most tasks the computer spends most of its time waiting for the user to do something which is why a lot of tasks are just as easily accomplished on the Via as opposed to the Intel. CPU-intensive tasks (like benchmarks) are another matter and the Intel would blow the Via out of the water.

[nomo]

Kamall: Here are PCMark05 scores for the HP Mini-Note and other ultra-portables:

801 - HP Mini-Note (1.6 GHz Via C7-M)
1,132 - Asus Eee PC 701 (900 MHz Celeron M)
1,152 - Fujitsu P7230 (1.2 GHz U1400 CS)
1,245 - Fujitsu P1610 (1.2 GHz U1400 CS)
1,965 - Fujitsu P7230 (1.2 GHz U2500 CD)
2,113 - Fujitsu P1620 (1.2 U7600 C2D)
2,446 - Sony TZ191 (1.2 U7600 C2D)
3,044 - Fujitsu P8010 (1.2 GHz L7100)

Additional comparative information is posted here:
http://www.leog.net/fujp_forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=12357

Potential buyers looking for an inexpensive sub-notebook with a good touch-type keyboard might also consider the recently discontinued 10.6" Fujitsu P7230 (preferably the model with a U2500 Core Duo chip).