S7010D keyboard, etc.

I have been picking a notebook FOREVER, and must order by the first of the week.

I read the recent review here, from the user that said that the keyboard they got on their S7010D was absolutely fine, indicating that PC Magazine must have had a pre-production keyboard/unit that they reviewed and said had "a lot of flex".
The funny thing is:
I called Portable One today, all ready to order an S7010D, and the person I spoke to told me that the keyboard would be the one negative on the S7010D. I asked if it had changed since the PC Magazine review, and he said "no". He went on to say that Fujitsu was very high quality, and that Fujitsu an Panasonic are the only 2 companies to manufacture their own notebooks. (I am not sure that this makes them a great company, however.

Anyhow, I have read a lot of positives in this forum about Fujitsu, and I am one of the few that don't like Crystal View, so the S7010D was my only possible choice.
I would like to know if anyone can confirm the "truth" about the keyboard.

Finally, I had been down to three 14.1" units:
1.) Thinkpad T42
2.) HP nc6000
3.) Fujitsu S7010D

I had been trying to talk myself into the Fujitsu because it is lighter, even though it does not have dedicated video or an option for accidental damage coverage like the HP and IBM do.
I am still not sure that the Fujitsu are the quality overall of the HP or the IBM ????

Finally, I would have preferred something even smaller and lighter than all of my choices above, but the only 12" quality unit I could find was an IBM X31, and it didn't have trackpad or CD-ROM.

HELP!!!!!!!!!

Andrew
Austin, TX

 

Fujitsu's quality is excellent. The s7010 buyers in this forum have not complained about the keyboard at all. P1 offers a 30 day return policy, worst case you send it back if it doesn't work for you.

I'd reconsider on the CV screen though. I was in the same camp as you, but my new P7010 has a CV screen and it's absolutely amazing. The best display I've ever used. The reflections are not the problem I anticipated. BTW, have you looked at the P7010? You want something smaller...

P1 also has a self-branded 12" coming out. They have info on their site.

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

 

Yeah, you should listen to Brian about the CV screen. I remember a while back when he said that he was one of the few who disliked the CV screen, and now he has one and likes it.

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Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
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I have a S7010D and the keyboard was a problem. Took it to a local suthorized fujitsu service center and the changed the keyboard whihc did not fix the problem. Next they added some doublesided tape under the keyboard which did fix the problem I was complaining about.

It is still a little mushy arounf the 4,5,6, and r,t,y keys but the loud clacking sound on the lower right side was fixed with the tape.

The S6210 has the same clacky keyboard sound not clearly as bad coming from the lower left corner. I'm sure it could be fixed in the same way. The local service was great. I ask them to look at the screen whihc had a slight white cloudy spot and the change the whole screen with one that has zero bad pixels (mine had 2 bad) When I spoke with the tech he indicated he didn't even bother to look at the screen before changing it.

I mention the S6210 because I have some regrets with the S7010D. The 14 inch screen is fine and plenty bright. I do not think the CV screen is any brighter but it is the gloss that gives that perception. The comparrision is that both the 14 inch screen and the 13.3 inch screen of the S6210 are limited to XGA (1024x768). Everything will look smaller on the S6210 but I think it is still workable. If you work in cramped spaces like airplanes the smaller S6210 might be more comfortable. If you are doing real work I would avoid the 12 inch screen as they are clearly too small to comfortably work.

Frys has the S6210 so if you can get to one you can see for yourself. I would try not to look purchase another laptop without being able to see it first or at least having a money back return policy.

 

Brian, and everyone here:

Thanks for the comments. I have not seen the S7010. I have seen the P7010 at Fry's and yes, either would be small enough for me.

As for the CV, I REALLY don't like seeing my own reflection, or any reflection of fluorescent or other lights in the screen. I do realize that the contrast and color depth is amazing, and that most people can easily ignore the reflectivity, but my eyes are such that I know that I could never grow to ignore it. I have been told (and read) that the S7010D is a good quality matte screen??? Correct or not???

FINALLY, you saw my choices above, and I thought I had it narrowed down, based on other recommendations to the IBM T42, although others here, like Venombite recommend the nc6000.

Run1track: Which of my 3 choices do you really prefer??? In my thread in "hardware" you say "if you can afford it, go with the IBM" and here you are advising me to reconsider the CV screen. Money, again, is not an issue, in fact the Fujitsu, as I would configure it is more money than the IBM.

I really don't care about anything, other than getting the highest overall quality possible. A few ounces of weight or a few 1/10th of an inch of size don't really matter to me.

The Fujitsu is the only one of my choices WITHOUT dedicated video.
I also can not get accidental damage protection on it, but I can get it on the T42 or nc6000.

I would get the T42 with 64MB 9600 card and 14.1" SXGA+, same for the nc6000. Although I originally wanted XGA, I have discovered "Liquid View" software, so I can live happily with XGA or SXGA+. I would be "tweaking" everything bigger on an SXGA+ screen.

So, please reconsider the: Thinkpad T42, HP nc6000, and Fujitsu S7010D and please just tell me which is the highest quality unit overall, and PLEASE include your reasons. The reasons you give will be most helpful to me. I HAVE TO ORDER THE FIRST OF THE WEEK, ABSOLUTELY, FINALLY.

Help!

Andrew
Austin, TX

 

see my review of the s7010 somewhere on this site. I recommend it unreservedly and have no trouble with the screen or keyboard

 

If the specs are the same, then go with the IBM.

*******************************************************
Fujitsu S6210: 1.6Ghz PM ~ 768MB RAM ~ 60GB 7200RPM Hard Drive
*******************************************************

 

I checked out LiquidView which looked interesting at first but the problem is it only increases the size. There is no way to make things smaller. This may be a good utility for those running XGA on a 12 or 13 inch lcd but XGA on a 14 is not a problem. What I had hoped is I could scale smaller on my S7010D and get more desktop but sadly this is not the case.

All 3 models seem to be 14 inch limited to XGA. Quality to me generally means sturdy and durable. When it comes to laptops unfortunately there is a trade off when it comes to weight. Unless someone has owned all three you’ll never get a good comparison. The IBM and HP may be better quality than the Fujitsu (marginally) but they are also 1/2 pound heavier. If you are unable to touch them beforehand you should make sure there is a return policy you can accept.

If you are only using this for business applications by suggestion is do not get bogged down on the different specs. As long as you have 512meg of memory the processor (between 1.5-1.8) is not going to make a whole lot of difference. It seems to me a dedicated video card is useless without a 15 inch or larger hi resolution (sxga) lcd. I am not saying get the slowest but measure the value. The top of the line could be more than 20% more money for less than 5% more performance.

Before you spend money upgrading the specs save your money for a second battery or something you can use,

 

deanlute:
I did read that you had no trouble with the screen or keyboard, but have you compared them to anything else on my list (the nc6000 or T42)??

Packrat:
The T42 and nc6000 ARE available in SXGA+.
THEY ARE NOT LIMITED TO XGA. ONLY THE FUJITSU IS LIMITED TO XGA.
I posted "I would get the T42 with 64MB 9600 card and 14.1" SXGA+, same for the nc6000. Although I originally wanted XGA, I have discovered "Liquid View" software, so I can live happily with XGA or SXGA+. I would be "tweaking" everything bigger on an SXGA+ screen."

So, as far as Liquid View (for me) I would only want to make stuff larger, so it works pretty well.

So, I will revise the 3 choices to include screen specs:

1.) Thinkpad T42 (15" or 14.1") SXGA+, 64MB 9600 card.
2.) HP nc6000 SXGA+, 64MB 9600 card.
3.) Fujitsu S7010D XGA, integrated video.

DOES THAT CHANGE THE RECOMMENDATIONS AT ALL?????

Thanks everyone!!!

Andrew
Austin, TX