Calling all S2000, S6000, and S7000 owners

I think I am going to break down and decide on a Fujitsu after spending countless hours debating over the Sony S580 or Compaq V2000z. Originally my issue was that the Fujitsu 13.3" models dont have the option for integrated bluetooth... and I was trying to stay away from 14" models overall (thats my maximum) , and the only Fujitsu 12" model with it is the tablet, which I have no use for and its heavier than the others....

The only other 13.3" models on the market with bluetooth are the Sony S580 (400 series now extinct), and Asus W5A (which I am not crazy about). The IBM 12" models are insanely expensive, and I feel that the units overall lack in comparison to Fujitsu and even Sony... even if people rave about IBM build quality.... for some reason I just find them a turnoff...

Dell has the 700m and D410, but I am SO turned off by negative reviews of the 700m and 600m models from notebookreview.com AND cnet.com regarding BAD BAD BAD customer service, and units breaking down quickly, consistently, and more than once shortly after arrival, that I think I am turning my back on Dell permanently... which is really a shame... oh well.

So here's the deal. The S7000 is advertised as 4.3lbs. A sales rep said that is, in fact, the weight with the optical drive installed.. and without the drive, using the empty module, it goes down to under 4lbs (or something close). So #1 is this true?

#2 - Honestly the only reason I have been so fanatic about bluetooth is so that at some point I could use a wireless headset for VOIP, or maybe a mouse if I wanted (though the units have IR already, so a mouse is no problem to begin with), so I am considering just giving in on the perfect notebook w/bluetooth search and considering the S2000 or S6000 a decent option. And perhaps just dealing with a USB adapter if I do decide to setup VOIP for Vonage. I dont have Vonage yet, nor do I have immediate plans, but I thought it might be interesting to just sack my cell phone in favor of Vonage, and use my baby notebook as my cell & house phone , LOL!! I dont use a house phone. The cell is my only phone. And apparantly Vonage voice mail can be checked in a number of ways from what I've read... sounds like the service is really comming along! Though maybe getting rid the cell would just be a plain dumb idea, lol. Then I'd always have to carry my notebook around. heh.

So what do you guys think? Integrated bluetooth a big deal or not? I was really just trying to future-proof the machine a bit.
There may be more in the future.... I dont have a bluetooth phone or PDA, and as noted, suppose if I really wanted the mouse, then I could go with the IR.....

decisions decisions....

 

Best of luck trying to "future-proof" your PC purchase IMO that is simply not possible. I wouldn't hold off purchasing a new notebook simply due to BT, but ymmv!

 

lol. you are absolutely right. I am DEFINATELY NOT holding off... simply trying to make up my ever retarded mind heh.

 

I can confirm the weight on the S7020. I weighed mine with the optical drive installed, and it came to 4.2 lbs. Without that drive, I could easily see it slipping under 4 lbs. It definitely feels light, but of course the S2110 and S6240 feel even lighter.

As for bluetooth, isn't the range for that only about 10 meters? If you want to use a bluetooth headset from your base computer for phone calls, you'd have to stay within that range. That would be fine for a dorm room or a small apartment, but if you were in a larger home, there might be spots you wouldn't be able to talk in unless you moved your laptop with you.

 

i agree its really hard to future proof. i hear people crying about blue tooth all the time. what you dont realize is that technology just conitinues to renew its self. wireless, infared, bluetooth.... blah blah blah blah blah =) soon as you buy a blue tooth enabled laptop they will come out with red tooth. in the future im sure we will all have computers as brains so why worry. just buy what you are comfortable with.

 

Good point turntable, lol, so what else is new, right?

As for the 10m distance Mister Crash, I think it will be a long time before I own/rent an apartment or house which is big enough to walk beyond 30ft in all directions, LOL

 

I debated bluetooth briefly myself, as I actually use my cell phone service to connect my lappy to the internet through BT. But a free after rebate on Newegg bluetooth USB dongle solved that problem.

As Turntable pointed out, it is impossible to totally predict what the future will bring, but at least with bluetooth you can always use a PCMCIA card or USB dongle. I wouldn't really let it sway you.

 

I have a tendency to obsess over certain things too long, but when it finally came to purchasing my first laptop, lol... I was going to take as long as I needed to make this investment, heh. Anything NOT related to college work, I always do my homework extensively when needed LOL. :decision:

 

I know my S6231 is 3.6 pounds with the weight saver. I think all S6000 series would be roughly the same weight, correct?

I also don’t understand why people rave about IBM build quality. My old Thinkpad A20m has a case that looks just like the current cases and even though it uses thick plastic, my light weight Fujistu still feels like it is designed smarter, making it stronger. It feels like the IBM is made out of a lot more pieces/sections of plastic and that these sections aren't held together well. Its like the parts are strong, but the overall sum doesn't feel strong. But, having said that, my thinkpad survied 3.5 years without problems (the last few months of which it took quite a bit of abuse)

I think what you decide will have to depend on your preferences, but you cannot have it all at once. You sound like you have done your research so now its time to take a leap of faith.

I can tell you one thing for sure, although I haven’t used that many other laptop brands, I am absolutely in love with my Fujitsu.

 

I was on the sky train today.. and saw most of the commuters carry a thing black IBM bag.. so cliche' i was carrying a Fujitsu bag, with one finger!! get a fujitsu and forget IBM, it's own by china now.. everything is from china ****!! Soon our wives will have "Made in China" stuk to her a** hehe..

 

Yah I think I'm pretty much ready to go for an S2000 since the Turion's fair better during average use. At least according to the extensive tests shown at laptoplogic.com

As for the carry case, LOL... that's a WHOLE other field of work and headache. LOL. I have seen some decent things from Targus thus far. No idea what's on Fujitsu site. After all, what good is a lightweight laptop with a 5lb bag, lol. On top of that, if it doesnt carry other things you want.

 

I agree re. buying a Fujitsu. Well made and built in Japan, not Korea or China.

I am buying a Fujitsu S7020 from Portable One (whom I highly recommend) and they actually throw the Bluetooth in with it if that is what you wanted. This may also be the case for the other S models but I haven't checked.

 

you cannot add integrated bluetooth to a s2000 or s6000 series laptop because for whatever reason Fujitsu decided it wasn't a worthy feature to offer in those models *SOB* The bastards!!!! The only way is with a USB adapter or PCMCIA card.

While the S7000 is VERY light for a 14" model, I'm thinking I just might still want to go down to the 13" anyhow and go for the SUPER light, since I'm beginning to lay off my bluetooth insanity and depression. LOL.

 

look at it this way, with no built in bluetooth you can get whatever dongle or pcmcia supporting v1.2 and ranges upto 100m. not sure what the s7000 has built into it. Actually I'll check now, I am curious.

Edit: I was semi right. The S7020 supports bluetooth v1.2, but it only has a range of 15ft. So 100m is one hell of a gain!

 

What on Earth am I going to be doing with a 100m range on my laptop? Take it out to a hotel, leave it in my room, put on a headset to use VOIP, then head off to a restaurant downstairs for dinner and a conversation? lol.

Interesting point you made tho. heh.

 

Well it's 100m open space, and much less indoors. So if you are voice chatting you can use a bluetooth headset and easily walk around your house, no need to be constricted.

Hey, I am trying to find an advantage for not having built-in bluetooth

 

Bluetooth? Heh...you ppl have so many requirements. When i was shopping for a laptop all i needed to worry about was:
1)Size and weight
2)Price
3)Processor & Ram
4)Cool looking

 

lol. bluetooth was originally NOT a requirement for me at ALL, then I decided I wanted it, then I changed my mind again and decided I could probably live with out it. lol. It honestly doesn't even rank in terms of importantce, it was just something on my mind.

My priorities are pretty much the same as yours.