Fujitsu P771

Greetings,

I have been seriously considering ordering a Fujitsu P771. I am very interested in hearing suggestions and opinions from owners of that system as well as from those who own Fujitsu systems in general.

I would particularly like to know about the build quality and which of the case components are made from plastic and which are metallic. How does Fujitsu's warranty and customer service fare?

I am also interested in the replaceable higher capacity main battery (especially if anyone owns both the higher and the standard capacity as they could speak to the variation in real world capacity) as well as the battery that fits into the expansion bay. I've read somewhere that there is an option for an SSD/HD sled for the bay but cannot find it anywhere on the Fujitsu site.

Assuming that I do choose a P771, I will likely be purchasing the Pico projector that fits into the bay. In addition to this being a novel item that piqued my interest, it would likely come in handy when I have to give presentations in unorthodox settings. Does the projector require software in Windows to operate or does it function independently of the OS? As I run Linux and BSD the vast majority of the time it is important. Lastly, is projector LED based or mercury based?

If anyone has any experience running Linux or a BSD variation on the P771 I would be interested in hearing about compatibility.

When is Fujitsu expected to update this line? How often do they generally update the line?

My sincerest thanks for your time.

-Abe

 

I had an old Plum colored 771 I think it was still called or 701......whatever it was.....I really enjoyed it.

Though it had a creaky sounding body/chassis to it......I did not mind that. Very sturdy.

The 10 inch screen at the time was a bit much for me so I did not keep it long (5-6 months).


I did see a youtube video on the new one that you're referring to.....looks very nice.



I work for Fujitsu now. I am trying to work in so my issued laptop is the one you are questioning. As of now I have a T-series for an issued laptop. Pretty decent, but I want something lighter and more portable.

 

I have a P770, and have found it to be solid and reliable, with one exception - the keyboard has far too much flex.

If you search here, you will find other feedback on the P771 and P770. One user reported that the keyboard in the P771 does not have the same flex.

I removed the optical drive in my P770, and used a drive bay from the far east to mount a second hard drive. This worked very well. I stopped needing it, so I removed the second drive, but have not put the optical drive back in - very little need for it.

I have a WD 750Gb Black drive installed at this time. Very nice. I would like to put in an SSD, and move the 750Gb drive to the second drive bay, but I have other priorities just now...

It is annoying to have to dissasemble the unit to replace the second memory module. Even more annoying is that you will put out ribbon cables doing this if you are not careful. I purchased a very long pair of needlenose pliers to put the cables back in.

My P770 dual boots, into Win7 64 bit ultimate or XP. I need to use XP because my DJ software (DJPower 2008) will not run under anything newer than XP. This works well enough. The system defaults to Win7, and that is how it is used when not DJing.

The P771 is faster, which is good. I seldom wish for more speed than my P770 has (for it's intended purposes), but more is better.

IMHO, I think they are due to put out a P772 soon. Something that goes beyond 8Gb RAM, and uses the latest chipsets to give even more speed and power. When that happens, I will be very temped....I always work with two laptops when DJing, and my second one (ASUS 17") is getting a bit old.

 

I have not done any research, but it seems to me that putting a projector into the drive bay of a laptop will be a bit awkward in real life. It will dictate where and how the laptop is positioned, rather than having the laptop close to where you are to use it.

If you are projecting from a laptop, you will not want to touch it - that will make the image jump around, which is hard on the eyes of your audience.

Getting the laptop tilted may also be awkward. It will look funny having the laptop sititng with something under it to tilt it up to the screen. There are no legs on the laptop, so I wonder what you are supposed to use - pencils and pads of paper under one edge?

 

I recently prepped one for the customer and yes, I agree on that. Keyboard bounces noticeably up and down. Other than that the machine was very likable.

Of course if someone comes from a 15" Acer the keyboard will feel just fine but from T-series Lenovo or Elitebook...

 

The pico projector extends out of the notebook and is adjustable up and down so that no tilting of the notebook is required. As for using the notebook whilst projecting during a presentation, many individuals stand while giving presentations while switching slides with a remote - often via bluetooth. Even if you wished to remain in front of the notebook, a light tap on the left and right arrows to move slides shouldn't yield much effect in movement of the overall system. One might even be able to get away with more general use if the system is build sturdily.

That said, I don't argue that having a pico projector in a system bay is superior (or even equally useful) to an external, USB based pico projector. I do, however, appreciate seeing originality from notebook manufacturers in a vast sea of bland design. I might actually pick one up if I find one that is a little discounted if for no other reason than a conversation piece among my IT associates. The nature of my work involves traveling to new offices to perform security assessments. We suit wearing nerds are sometimes socially reserved and discussing one another's choice of hardware often serves as an ice breaker.

 

rfielder,

Thank you very much for your reply. Glad to see some life in the Fujitsu community. Very few of them in North America.

Are you happy with the overall quality of your Fujitsu system? Do you own any others from Fujitsu?

I was told by a Fujitsu sales rep that the company will be announcing/releasing new lines for North America on June 4th. However, he said that the P771 will not see an upgrade for sometime stating that it was because it used ULV chips and those were not due for a refresh yet. I'm not sure how much trust should be put into that statement as he was wanting to sell me a P771.

Have you seen the SH771? I really, really like the look of that system. They included many details that I have long admired in the ThinkPad line such as an all-metal body that is covered in a rubbery, matte black finish. It also has all the security features one would expect in a pro series system, the exchangeable drive bay, and an ExpressCard slot. If they built the P series in a 12" form factor it would be a near perfect system for my needs.

I also wanted to ask you; where did you find that HD bay you were speaking of? You mentioned an Asian source...

Thanks,

Abe

 

SoulSaver,

Thank you for the reply.

I'm interested in what you do at Fujitsu. I'm not intending to pry - I only wish to know if you are affiliated with their computer line or if you work with one of their many other products. If so, I'd have a few questions.

When you said you had a "T-series", are you referring to the 10" tablets Fujitsu offers?

I was also interested in the P701. It is essentially the same as a P771 but with a standard voltage (faster, I believe) processor and a DisplayPort built in so the port extender isn't needed to connect to higher resolution displays. Something that has particular benefit for myself (I'm an information security consultant) is the integrated smart card reader which is something I use on a daily basis when I use an ExpressCard to smart card adapter. Fortunately, the P771 has a full size (54) ExpressCard slot. The P701 has a half size (34). One downside to the P701 is the lack of swappable bay but I'm not sure most people care about that. As a persona preference, I prefer the P771 which comes in all black unlike the P701 which combines black, white, and silver.

You mentioned the "creakiness" of the Fujitsu system you have used. That is the one concern about the Fujitsu design style. It seems to be very much unchanged from notebooks of a decade ago. Thick, plastic exteriors that chip and crack into oblivion. That is one of the reasons I have been so interested in the LifeBook SH771. It looks superb. Exactly what I want the P771 to be but it comes in 13.3" which is larger than I'd like. If the P771 turns out to be a let down, I will probably trade for the SH771 (despite the undesirable screen size) or move over to Panasonic's notebooks.

Cheers,

Abe

 

The P701 - at least here in Canada - comes with only an i5 processor.

 

P772 will come soon.

 

Do you know this for certain or are you assuming so because the other "772" models have been released? Undoubtedly, the P772 will be released within a year but do you believe it wil be 2 months, 4, or more like 8? I was told by a sales rep that because it is a low voltage model it will have a longer wait before the update. I'm not sure why that could possibly be. Has Intel not released low voltage Ivy Bridge chips?

I'm afraid that the P772 will be really slimmed down. I really don't want that. I prefer a thicker 12" notebook that has more ports, battery, and heat dissipation. They already have the "ultrabook" models. I hope they don't (in my opinion) ruin the P series with the same rubbish.

Kind regards,

Abe

 

I don't know the time you can buy P772. But I see the information from the website, here is the link, LIFEBOOK P772 - Detailed Specs : Fujitsu Hong Kong. And I like this laptop, too.

 

My title at Fujitsu is Desk Side Engineer. I provide hardware support for a global client. We have a few off site warehouses, and the main plant is over a million sq feet. Over 600 desktops/laptops in this environment lol. So no, not affiliated with the computer building side of the things. Just the IT service/support side.

Fujitsu is about to do a roll out of laptops and desktops to replace the old/outdated IBM hardware.

Fujitsu issued me a T series laptop.....its nice, but heavvvvvvy for a tablet. The P701 I had was around 2007-8ish.....quite nice. I enjoyed it.

 

Very interesting! The P772 is not listed on the Canadian Fujitsu website at this time.

It is listed on the European and American websites, with a slight difference - they list i3 and i5 processors as well as i7:

LIFEBOOK P772 - Fujitsu Technology Solutions

It is missing one thing that is on my wish list - a backlit keyboard.

They have gone to 16Gb max - nice! I wonder if they are keeping one of the memory slots hidden inside, or if both can be reached without a major dissasembly.

Something I am not familiary with "HDA-in, HDA-out" under Connector Interface. What is that?

The P772 is very interesting. I have been thinking of replacing my 17" ASUS unit, which is getting a bit older, with something in the 13" to 14" range, but the P772 might be just the trick. Pairing that with my P770 would make a great working setup for DJing as well.....

 

The P772 looks very good to me, but can anyone confirm that it accepts standard 9.5 mm drives? The max listed option is 500GB and that could be a 7mm, which is too small for my needs. Thanks.

 

Just checked the specs, and the P771 and P772 are exactly the same size. They are not "sliming it down" in any way. This means there are no issues with drive sizes, etc.

I would go for the P772 if possible, since it is faster and will remain usable for a longer period of time.

One thing I would like to know about the P771 and P772 - I have a P770, and replacing one of the memory modules means taking the notebook apart in a major way. It also means being very careful because when you split the case, some of the ribbon cables are rather short - it is easy to pull out the keyboard or trackpad cables without realizing it. Are both memory slots externally accessible in the P771 and/or P772?

 

As for the P771 -and I assume the P772 is identical- the memory modules are both readily accessible.

Warning - Just this week I noticed that both plastic housings for the hinges were broken on the reverse side. There have been no drops or rugged handling of the system. With a notebook I chose largely based on the fact that it has a magnesium body that is supposed to be very rigid and very well designed, I cannot believe that they would have made the hinge housing out of cheap plastic. I am very disappointed in this. It was already ridiculous enough that the magnesium has been glazed over with shiny black plastic that cheapens the look of the notebook as well as makes it susceptible to scratching, fingerprints, and hairline cracks in the coating. The system should be covered with the same rubberized finish as the SH771/772 for a system geared toward the professional community. Likewise, they shouldn't use clear plastic navigational buttons above the keyboard. I realize the Japanese market has different tastes than that of the Western market but I feel that some design variables are not tastefully chosen for a business machine.

I will be notifying Fujitsu of the issue with the hinge this week. I am located in Canada and so I worry that (like almost all business in Canada) the solution will be a very slow and tedious. I hope that Fujitsu is honorable enough to this as I have spent roughly $2,300 (not counting the exorbitant tax in Canada) on the system. If they do respond nobly, they will gain my confidence in the company and I will undoubtedly upgrade to the P772 in the near future. Aside from the hinge and the aforementioned issues I have had, I have greatly enjoyed my P771 and have expressed so on many forums online thereby providing a great deal of free advertisement in a market where they have zero advertisement and a very small customer base.

Cheers,

Abe

 

I've rolled out a few P771's to end users in the last few weeks.

They seem like a nice little laptop, i didnt like the keyboard flex though..

 

Abe:

What became of your laptop? Has it been repaired?

 

I still have yet to send it in. I am still trying to track down a company who will customize and sell a P772 to North America (read my other posts to find out why - Fujitsu is ridiculous with their North American market offerings compared to elsewhere) and send it in while I have the replacement. I suppose I could use one of my ThinkPads while the P771 is getting repaired but I've grown attached to the P771 but I really will always dislike the plastic nonsense that Fujitsu liberally layered over beautiful magnesium. I feared it would be more than a fingerprint issue and I was right - the hinges are a mess. I'm trying to track down a matte P772 which should at least get rid of the fingerprint dilemma. If Fujitsu doesn't help me get the P772 I want, they are morons. I'm also in the middle of buying servers from them. If they don't provide me with some way to get the P772 I want I may be looking into a Panasonic SX2 or NX2 even though I hate that it doesn't have an ExpressCard slot (I use all sorts of ExpressCards daily - a dual gigabit NIC, a Ubiquity wireless card, a smartcard ExpressCard adapter, and a FireWire 800 card.)

Fujitsu! If you are reading this, help me get a P772 into North America with the same configuration as the one you sell in the Asia Pacific market! I recommend your systems all the time!

Happy to answer any other questions you might have, rfielder.

Cheers,

Abe

 

rfielder,

I just noticed that you are located in Canada. I'm currently there/here myself. If you are looking to buy a P772 perhaps you and I could combine forces to press Fujitsu to ship over unhindered systems from their markets elsewhere. In short, the P771 and P772 outside of North America comes with 3G/4G, and, in turn, the Mini PCIe slot (that can also be used for things other than WWAN cards - especially if it is also mSATA compatible). What they do to the North American models is wretched. Not only do they not allow an option for a WWAN card, they actually remove the socket altogether. This means that you cannot add a WWAN card later, cannot install various other kinds of cards, or the potential for an mSATA drive. I am REALLY hoping the P772 from Europe and Asia is also mSATA compatible. It is one of the reasons I am trying to get one shipped in. I mention this in another thread but the features that are not available in the North American market that I am very much wanting are the following:

-External matte finish on the lid (The standard comes with a shiny black plastic lid, I have it, it is a fingerprint disaster and makes the system look altogether cheap and unprofessional. The matte one can be seen HERE.)
-WWAN/mSATA
-Modular SSD/HD option (Product # FPCHFK58-K)
-Better port configuration options.
-No OS option.
-Of little importance but still noteworthy in showing how much nicer they are to Asian customers, they include a slipcase in the box. (I've seen other models that suggest free port replicators and bay batteries are sometimes included. Can't confirm.)

Anyway, it would be nice, rfielder, to have someone else pushing Fujitsu to provide the options to customers here in North America. Especially, very loyal ones like myself. It is much easier just to purchase a ThinkPad or Elitebook.

-Abe

 

Old Abe: Sorry, but I am not in the market for a new laptop, at least not in the short term. I want to stay aware of the technology and be part of the discussion, but my P770 is working well and my second laptop, an ASUS G70, does not see enough service to justify a replacement.

When it comes time to lay down the $$$, I will be having a close look at the Alienware M14x as well.