Fujitsu Japan continues to make waves in the laptop market there, with its latest innovative product being an ultra-light PC that weighs just 580g.
The FMV-U8240 will hit the shops in Japan in the middle of June. It's set for a worldwide release within a few months, so for once the good gear isn't confined to the Far East. Classed as a UMPC (ultra-mobile PC), the U8240 uses Intel's Ultra Mobile Platform previously known as 'McCaslin'. And it's powered by an 800MHz Intel A110 'Stealey' CPU.
Choose your flavour
Three variations will be available. There's a 20GB HDD/512MB RAM/Windows XP Professional version for ¥144,000 (£603), the same configuration with 1GB of RAM for ¥164,000 (£687), and a Windows Vista Business edition that will arrive in July at the same higher price. A 40GB hard drive will also be available as an option.
As for the rest of the hardware, the 5.6-inch touch-sensitive screen has a 1024 x 600-pixel resolution that is stylus-operated, while the keyboard can be used conventionally or with the thumbs while holding the machine.
Business machine
On the wireless front, there's Wi-Fi but no Bluetooth, which is disappointing for most consumers, although the corporate types the U8240 is aimed at probably won't mind so much. SD and CompactFlash slots are the only memory card options.
Completing the package is a fingerprint sensor that can prevent unauthorized access to both the OS and the BIOS and a four-hour battery life. Anyone opting for the Vista model can expect to lose around 30 minutes of run time, making the new OS a pointless choice on a device designated 'ultra mobile'.
