Lifebook P7000

Hi everyone...excellent information here!

I currently have an IBM T41p and it has been a terrific laptop. With 128meg dedicated video card it is a superp mobile gaming machine even..and the quality of course is great. I am, however, doing a little more traveling lately and I find it to be just a little more then I would like to carry...even tho it is a thin & light, it still is a little too much for a coach seat I primarily use it for basic Excel / Word / PowerPoint with heavy use for web, email and dvd watching (for DVD's I play them from the harddrive only).

So I am planning on selling the T41 and moving to an ultraportable. I have been debating between the IBM X31 / X41 or the LifeBook P7000. I hve looked at the Dell and just don't trust the build quality especially after ising an IBM this last year. I am primarily interested in the smallest footprint I can get while still sticking to "mainstream" models etc.

Can you tell me what the difference is between the P7000 and P7010? I understand about the "D" addon with the better G card...just can't seem to figure out the difference between the 7000 and 7010 Also, since the P7 series doesn't seem to include Bluetooth (important for me since I teather it to a cell phone frequently) would I run into any problems just throwing on a USB BT dongle when I need to conncect to the phone? Also, does the higher capacity battery stick out from the back of the unit? This adds almost an inch to the size of the X40. Also, is a 7200 rpm HD available for it? For some reason I am missing this on Fijitsu's site.

The LifeBookP series really seems to have it all (sans BT)...and it is the smallest of the group I am looking at I think. I have yet to read a bad review of it and build quality and support seem to be very good as well.

Thanks for any advice!

 

P7000 is the name of the series, and P7010 is the current model. So what you can buy is a P7010 with "D" or no "D".

I would advice you go with "D" since it offers faster connections in case the wireless network where you are using it supports that.

The battery is flush with the body. It is called "high capacity" but that is the standard and only main battery. You can opt for a modular battery to place instead of the optical drive.

For bluetooth, sure you can use a dongle, or even a pcmcia card (there are some that when plugged will be flush with the body), that way you can always leave it in the system and there will be no need to carry the extra dongle.

For 7200RPM HDD you will have to order from www.portableone.com (an authorized reseller) or you can do the upgrade your self.

By the way portable one have a better price if I am not mistaken, and their customer service is the best I have ever delt with.

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N6010: P4M 3.2G, 512MB Dual 333MHz, 60GB 7200RPM, ATI 9700M, 17" WXGA+
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One thing to note about the x40 is that they use 1.8" 4200RPM hard drives and cannot be upgraded to anything faster. There is no optical drives unless you get the base or an external. I like the x31 much better if you want IBM. It offers much better battery life with the standard battery and hard drive upgradeability. They use the older Banais Pentium M core. Like the x40, no optical drive. Good Luck.





I know things, things that could get me killed


Thinkpad T41:
* 1.6Ghz Pentium M * 768Mb Memory * 40Gb Hitachi 7200RPM * Panasonic UJ-845-B DVD+RW *

 

Thanks for the input Actually, I think the X31 uses the same 1.8" drive (it has been a few weeks since I talked to IBM) as the X40. This is my one real complaint with the X31 / 40 as I don't mind not having an optical drive on board very much. Other then installing new software I don't use the one in my T41p much at all since I keep all dvd's ripped to the harddrive and just transfer over the files when I want to go on the road.

Btw..I was just noticing the little Fujitsu p1100..I know it has a much weaker processor etc. but any idea how that would hold up for basic spreadsheet stuff, dvd watching etc. I actually could almost see getting that and keeping my IBM machine. Otherwise I am pretty sold on the P7000.

 

The P1000 would be okay, but they are replacing that model in the next couple months. The P7 is much more mainstream though and probably a better overall value. I think it's better than the X series due to the display, second batery option and flash card readers.

Brian

www.BargainPDA.com | www.DigitalCameraReview.com | www.NotebookReview.com | www.SpotStop.com | www.TabletPCReviewSpot.com

 

Have they given any information about what it is being replaced with?

I agree...the P7 is definately a more solid purchase but I am a little attracted to the tiny size of the P1100

 

Better display and CPU I imagine...

Brian

www.BargainPDA.com | www.DigitalCameraReview.com | www.NotebookReview.com | www.SpotStop.com | www.TabletPCReviewSpot.com