In Pictures: Fujitsu's Lightweight Convertible Tablet

This side view shows off the T2010's slim dimensions. The unit measures 11.9 by 8.8 by 1.4 inches, and weighs approximately 3.5 pounds with the standard 6-cell battery. The 9-cell battery adds 0.3 pounds more. The screen swivels so you can turn it into a slate-style tablet. Or, use the T2010 as a traditional laptop; the keyboard seemed quite comfortable when I tried it. I was less enthusiastic with the eraserhead-style pointing device; it worked fine, but I prefer laptops with dual-pointing devices (such as a touchpad and eraserhead).

Fujitsu has redesigned the hinge and latch on the T2010. The swivel screen is bi-directional, and moves 180 degrees left to right. The screen's spring-loaded latch has been moved to the hinge from the front top of the screen. The advantage to this design is two-fold: For one, you don't have to unlatch the laptop to open it; for another, if you're replacing the battery, you don't have to first unlatch the screen to do so.

The programmable buttons at the bottom-right of the screen (in laptop mode) provide versatility regardless of which mode you're using. At far right, you'll notice the power switch is now a slider, not a button; this change was made to prevent users from accidentally turning off the machine. The buttons to the left of the power switch help navigate the system without using the keyboard. From right to left: the One-touch Ctrl-Alt-Delete, a function button, a screen rotation button, and two programmable keys.

The T2010's 12.1-inch WXGA LED backlit screen responds to touch, but only from the included stylus, which tucks away here on the front. While the stylus has a reasonable thickness and weight to it, I wish the screen was finger-friendly, like the LifeBook P1620.

Most of the inputs are located along the right-hand side of the T2010. From left to right is a pen tether for the stylus, jacks for headphones, microphone, USB 2.0, mini FireWire 4-pin input, and power.

The back view of the T2010 reveals some air vents, as well as one of the unit's two USB 2.0 ports, a gigabit ethernet connection, and a VGA video port. The unit also can be configured with wireless 802.11 a/b/g/draft-n and Bluetooth 2.0.

As with all Fujitsu laptops, the T2010 has a biometric fingerprint reader. The reader is located on the lower left of the screen (in laptop mode). This way, when you flip the screen around to turn the laptop into a tablet, you can still use the reader. Notice the screen in the background: Fujitsu decreased the size of the bezel, in part by having the display's glass go out to the edge.

The T2010 supplements its fingerprint sensor with a Smart Card slot, seen here beneath the PC Card slot. The Smart Card slot provides another level of security--and one that already has traction in specialized environments such as hospitals, where an ID card can double as a laptop security access card.

A slot at the front left of the T2010 handles Secure Digital, Memory Stick, and Memory Stick Pro media.

Most notebooks today put the battery at the rear. The T2010 opts instead to put the battery up front. This new alignment should make the T2010 easier and less fatiguing to hold while in slate mode, since the weight is distributed closer to the center of your body. Fujitsu says that, in its tests, the 6-cell lithium ion battery lasted for 9 hours under Windows XP; the optional 9-cell battery lasted 11 hours. If you ever need to swap out one battery with another with minimal fuss, the front-and-center location should make doing so more convenient.