Gizmo

Fujitsu Stylistic ST4000 Tablet PC

It’s a piece of paper, no it’s a laptop. Yeah, the Tablet PC is one of those ingenious devices that gets people who love pen and paper to think that maybe there’s something in this laptop thing after all.

The devices are laptops that you can write on with a digital pen. They came from a Microsoft initiative to develop the Tablet PC operating system, a variation on Windows XP that includes digital pen and notepad functions.

Half a dozen or so hardware vendors designed devices around it. Two variations emerged. One was a laptop which could have its screen flipped around to cover the keyboard to become a writing tablet. The other is a device that is all tablet, yet has an optional keyboard that’s an attachment or add-on. Such is the design of the Fujitsu Stylistic ST4000 Tablet PC. It’s a 3.2 lb device, a smidge larger than an 8x10 sheet of paper and 0.82 inches thick. Imagine a clipboard, thick like a steak, and you’ve got the idea.

That said, I don’t see my Auntie Ann writing her grocery list on one any time soon. “Oh mustn’t forget the tea bags. Better write it on my Tablet PC.” Nope, not gonna happen. But I could see a nurse rushing around with one in a hospital. “Let's see. Yes, that’s two laxatives for you Mr. Mardon. There you go, pop them down.”

The gadget is a fully fledged computer with a Pentium III 933 MHz processor onboard and 256 MB of memory (expandable to 768 MB). It also has a 30 or 60 GB hard drive. The stylus – that’s the digital pen – slots into the top of the device for safe keeping. It’s used to tap through the Windows menus and to draw or write on the screen when in notepad mode. Those notes can be converted to text when you’re ready. If you need to type while mobile, you can tap letters on a pop up on-screen keyboard or use a wireless keyboard (optional, but way over priced at $126 CDN, $91 US). Back at your desk, it can slot into a docking station, which has all the usual computer plug-ins – though for some reason has the old slow USB 1.1 connectors and not the new zippy USB 2.0. A CD+RW drive or, optionally, a DVD burner is integrated into the docking station.

If you’re a fanatical notetaker, you might like this strange, slightly awkward device, but for the conventional business person, it’s a bit of a non-starter. It’s not as light, handy and cheap as old fashion pen and paper, and as a laptop, it’s a hassle to make it work like a mobile computer (you have to take a separate mouse and keyboard with you). It’s halfway between both and doesn’t function as well as either. It does however make for a space-saving desktop computer and it’s definitely a showpiece. Wow your colleagues and the cleaning staff (or your spouse).

Still, the device, price between $1,999 and $2,628 depending on the configuration, does have its technical charms. It has built in wireless networking and I really like the ability to swap between portrait and landscape modes on the screen. Ultimately, I prefer the hybrid laptop Tablet PC with the built-in keyboard and mouse. Fujitsu says it’s got one of those in the works. Maybe Auntie Ann would like one of those better.

Approximate price: $2,785 to $3,662 Canadian, $1,999 to $2,628 US
More info: www.fujitsupc.com
Where to buy: Call 1-800-263-8716 in Canada or 1-800-831-3183 in the U.S. or find a retailer in either country at fujitsupc.com. Or try Amazon.com

-Andy Walker, Cyberwalker Media Syndicate

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Copyright © Cyberwalker Media Inc. 2002