Buying blind

After reading all the reviews of all the different brands I am basically ready to order the s7010. I have not yet seen it in real life but have seen the s6210. My decision is based on the fact that it is a light notebook with all the features I want, at a decent price. Perhaps I am mad buying a machine blind - what do you think?

The only other contender in my eyes is the dell d600 but in south africa it will cost me about 25% more than the lifebook... The Hp just doesn't appeal to me and the sony's are a bit too expensive/gimmicky to me. The acer range has nothing that fanices my tickle so FSC it is.

I hope that I am not going wrong but I am interested in the forums opinion re d600 vs s7010

 

Hi all ~~ I'm new and this is my first time leaving msg here!

Actually I'm in the same boat as deanlute or everybody else whos buying a notebook. Basically I'm very interested in S6210 and S7010, but I just can't make up my mind which one I'm going for..... can anybody give me any suggestions?! I don't play much games, just normal office work, netsurfing, music and codec movies.

I'm in Nz... and there are no showrooms or sample lifebooks for me to have a feel of it.... so I'm making a big decision to buy from Portable Ones.

Hope I'll LOVE the S series Lifebook !!!!! [ ][ ][ ]

 

oh no, it's double trouble with the same question [ ]

deanlute: Well, as far as the Dell D600 versus the S7010 I would certainly go with the S7010 if it's 25% less because Fujitsu notebooks generally have a better build than Dell and look a little sleeker. It's surprising to me it's so much cheaper, here in the U.S. Dell always wins on price. You are not mad about buying a machine blind, it's kind of an insecure feeling and it's always nice to try something out, but many people order from Dell everyday and are just going on sheer faith in reviews and what Dell says about a notebook!

tomeldilus: Either notebook is good, so you won't go wrong. I used the S6120 and liked it a lot. The S6000 now has Crystal View technology in the screen (less glare, claimed easier outdoor viewing) while the S7000 does not. The S7000 screen is 14.1" while the S6000 is 13.1". The S7000 can be configured with a faster processor, the new Pentium M Dothan at 1.7GHz is faster and more power efficient than the older Pentium M Banias with 1.6GHz clock speed. Because the processor is newer, you pay more for the S7000. There have been complaints about the S7000 keyboard being "mushy" or not firm feeling. Fujitsu claims to have fixed this issue. The S7000 can be configured with dual pointing (a touchpad and a touchstick on the keyboard) I love this option and would be lost without it because I'm so used to using a ThinkPad. So, there's a few differences for you! I'd go with the S7000, I'm not a huge fan of the CV screen and a larger screen is better if you'll be in the office a lot anyway. If you're concerned about the keyboard issue ask Portable One if they'll give you a grace return period or something, tell them you'll buy it except that one concern has you hesitating and they might incentivize you [ ]

 

Thanx abaxter man! The info is really helpful!

Umm.. still having some questions about S Series Lifebook

1. Are the DVD or DVD/CD-RW drives region free?
2. Are there many Lifebooks with dead pixels around?
3. Is the Crystal View really makes huge differences than normal LCDs?
4. The dimension of S7000D looks very thin and I'm loving it so much! Is it the slimest 14.1" notebook on the market now?
5. When were the new series of S7000 and S6000 released?

That's it for now, MANY MANY Thanx to those who kindly answer my questions!!! [ ][ ][ ][ ][ ]

 

I own the S7010 and have recently played around with the S6210 and can share some thoughts. I went with the S7010 because at the time it was the same weight as the older S6120 so I figured I was getting a bigger screen without any added weight or cost.

The keyboard does suck much of the lower right side makes a clacky noise when compared to the left side (the old 6120 does not have this problem) But, the new 6210 has the same problem but more on the left side centered arond the S key. I think both can be fixed with some double sided tape between the keyboard and the plate below it preventing it from flexing up and down. My local fujitsu service center suggest this and will do it for free and charge fujitsu for their labor.

Both systems are only capable of XGA, 1024x768 resolution. On larger 14.1" screen text is only slightly smaller when compared to a 21" desktop running 1280x1024. Text on the 13.3" will be even smaller but I think it workable when dealing with ms-office type apps. All depends on your comfort level and how good your eyes are.

Regarding the crystal view... I looks like a layer of shiney glass over the screen which makes it very glossy. I'm not sure how much brighter it is but it does make it look "better" in some ways. It's kinda like when you laminate something printed on paper for some reason it seem to look better. BUT, the glare off the CV screen is almost exactly like a CRT monitor. Any lamp or light behind you can be clearly seen in the screen. I could see every light hanging from the ceiling of Frys which is a warehouse type store just like I was looking in a mirror. My concern is with a laptop you never know where you will be using it and don't always have the ability to switch of a lamp or close curtians to prevent this glare. On a positive note the viewing angle on the CV is very good. When watching a video on any other laptop you find yourself tilting the lcd screen to get the right angle but I think this is no longer a problem on the CV.

If I had it to do over I might actually go for the S6210. It is now a few ounces lighter than the S7010. When you flip up the screen on an airplane traytable I now think the smaller 13.3 might actualy be more comfortable. The S6210 has a cool memory card reader and a RW dvd drive as a bonus feature.

What I did learn from this experience is I will never buy without seeing again (or a least have a no restocking fee exchange policy) and perhaps that is the best advise I can give you.

 

The dells come from the us but the fujistu comes from germany (to south africa). Wonder if it had any effect on the price...

Thanks for your encouragement. Should order the lifebook today. Also I think us tech junkies are often a little _too_ demanding. There is such a thing as 'good enough' - but never for us [ ]. Anyway, it takes about three weeks for the machine to come from Germany and I promise a full review of the machine and whether I am happy/regretful that I chose the lifebook s7010. I suspect I will be overjoyed.

Dean

 

I finally made up my mind!!! I'm going for S7010 as well!!!

Coz I don't think I'll need the CV that much and in fact, S6210 is a little bit thicker than S7010, but I'm just been picky on the thiness. Anyway, it's just feels better to have a thinner and lighter notebook with 14 inch screen ^^ I would go order (from Protable One)it probably next week and I'll get mine S7010 upgrade to 1GB RAM and 60GB 7200 RPM HDD!!! So looking forward to it!!! It cost me $2049 for the notebook and $166 for Fedex economy shipping... so it comes to $2215 US... Mmm... about $3322 NZ dollars... still much cheaper than the retail store here!!! (((Only one retail store and doesn't have sample for me to take a look, they told me that if I want to get a hand on it, I'll have to make a deposit on it... [xx(]... weird eh..)))

Anywayz ~ I'm really happy to finalize my decision and hope I'll be overjoyed like deanlute!!! And thanx to Packrat and abaxter for the detailed info!!!

 

Now you just have to wait for it! Good luck and let us know what you think of it.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com