Fujitsu's flagship slate computer
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

Of all the current Tablet PC vendors, none has more experience than Fujitsu Computer Systems which has been designing and selling pen slates for over 15 years. This experience is plainly obvious in the design, high quality, and overall execution of the Stylistic ST5100 Series of Tablet PCs, the successor to the ST5000 and ST4000 Series.

The 5100 Series comes in two versions, the ST5111 with a reflective 10.4-inch display, and the ST5112 with a transmissive 12.1-inch wide-viewing-angle Hydis display (or even a coated outdoor version). Both initially had 1.2GHz ultra-low-voltage Intel Core Duo U2500 processors running at 1.2GHz that were then replaced with 1.33GHz Core 2 Duo U7600 and U7700 chips, and both are available with Atheros 802.11a/bc chipsets as well as with the Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG module. Fujitsu offers several optional stands and docks and other accessories needed for business or vertical market applications. The 5112 model has an integrated fingerprint reader.

Battery life is impressive: you get up to six hours with the standard 56 watt-hour battery, and up to nine hours with the high-capacity 84 watt-hour battery. Hard disks are shock-mounted and come in capacities from 40 to 160 GB, all are 5400rpm Serial-ATA devices. There is more than adequate onboard connectivity, and that can be complemented with a Tablet Dock that also has a modular bay for a variety of optical drive options.

This is a reliable slate computer from a blue-chip vendor that gets the job done. The new models are technologically up-to-date, provide a good balance between performance and battey life, and remain light and handy.