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| Written by Stephen Tong of cnet.com | |||
| Monday, 14 March 2005 11:50 | |||
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Though Fujitsu has improved the ST5010 with upgraded specs and features in the form of the ST5020, the original $2,858.54 remains. With new security features such as a biometric scanner and improved battery life, this model affirms itself as one of the better slate tablets out there, though the high price and lack of an external optical drive are serious turn-offs.
Design  Measuring the same dimensions as the ST5010 at a compact 324.4 x 220 x 22.3mm and weighing a fairly light 1.55kg, the ST5020 is one of the sleekest slate tablet PCs out there. Once again, the PC lacks a four-way pad for better navigability which would make allow the user to have an easier time to scroll within a window as opposed to the use of the pen. Fujitsu does provide four keys for this purpose, but they are not too intuitive if you're a first time user. One obvious difference is the presence of a biometric scanner located at the top left of the unit. The original six application buttons on the ST5020 remain. Along with a slot for the stylus, there's also a convenient pen tether attachment point to prevent its loss.
We had difficulty entering information into the unit through the stylus. While scribbling down one paragraph of this review, we must say the handwriting recognition is pretty accurate, though the words and the formatting can never be 100 percent correct. Presenters or lecturers who wish to demonstrate concepts to a board of directors or students may find the slate useful, but students who need to enter data quickly may want to consider a model with a keyboard. Features Out test unit came loaded with a Pentium M processor ULV 733 (1.1GHz), 512MB RAM and a decent-sized 60 GB hard drive, marking an improvement over the ST5010's 1GHz, 256MB RAM and 40GB drive. Those even considering playing games on this machine can check elsewhere as integrated graphics are used and, more importantly, you don't have a keyboard to use. Worse still, the unit doesn't even come with an external optical drive, much less an internal one. Networking is another issue as there are ample options to connect to the Net or other devices such as 802.11b/g wireless LAN, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet and a 56K modem. We didn't expect too much in terms of ports and slots. However, the S5020 somehow manages to squeeze in two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, VGA-out and a fingerprint scanner. There's no sign of an S-video out though it's commendable that the tablet somehow squeezed a Smart Card reader and an SD/MS card reader at the top. The biometric reader combines with OmniPass software to authenticate a user when using the system for user authentication. This function is easy to set up, although when tested, it took at least two to three swipes on average for a user to enter Windows. You can scan any of your fingers and there is support for multiple users. Performance And Battery Life The notebook ran through the usual MobileMark 2002 tests, but somehow a performance result could not be attained. Though applications like Photoshop Elements 2.0 ran with an occasional lag time, other programs such as SonicStage and FreeRip worked just fine. Battery life tests ran smoothly with the tablet PC chalking up 283 minutes (closing in on 5 hours). This is a good result considering that most notebooks average 200 to 250 minutes. Note that with the use of the stylus, a much reduced rating may have been given. Service And Support Together with the latest Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 (with Service Pack 2), the ST5020 is loaded with software such as Microsoft Windows Journal, Norman Virus Control and Norman Personal Firewall. A three-year warranty comprising a one-year international carry-in (parts and labor) warranty along with a second- and third-year local carry-in (parts only) warranty applies. Fujitsu Singapore's online support includes warranty registration, an FAQ section and driver downloads. Take note that the FAQ section highlights the ST series in general, but overall the ST5020 is well-covered.
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