Fujitsu LifeBook P1610 Tablet PC (1.20GHz Core Solo U1400, 1GB, 80GB, Windows XP Pro, 8.9

In addition to the PC Card slot (useful for such peripherals as an EvDO card or a CardBus CompactFlash card adapter) on the left side of the unit, the P1610 has an SD Card slot, two USB 2.0 ports, the stylus, and headphone and line-in jacks along the right side; at back is a VGA port, plus RJ-11 and ethernet ports. The unit has 802.11 a/b/g and Bluetooth wireless connectivity.

Although my small hands had few issues with the cramped keyboard, touch typists and users with large hands may find it difficult to work with. My two design complaints are minor ones: First, the flat, sliding power switch was awkward to switch on and off. Second, the spacebar depresses beneath the unit's chassis, so I often found myself bumping into the chassis as I typed.

Equipped with a 1.2-GHz Intel Core Solo ULV U1400 CPU, integrated graphics, and 1GB of RAM, the unit mustered only a Fair rating on our WorldBench 5 tests, earning a score of 62. It also did poorly on our gaming graphics tests, producing unplayably low frame rates. The P1610's 3-hour battery life is respectable given the unit's small size, but the result falls nearly an hour and a half short of the current average battery life among ultraportables we've seen.

Clearly, this notebook is aimed at people who put a premium on portability. If you crave both compactness and functionality, the petite LifeBook P1610 will charm you.

Melissa J. Perenson