E8020: for speed freaks in needs of portable power<\/p>\n
Zatni Arbi, Contributor, zatni@cbn.net.id<\/p>\n
You may have often heard the name \"Sonoma\" mentioned by computer
\ndevotees lately, especially by those who always tote a notebook
\nwherever they go.<\/p>\n
Actually, it is a code name that Intel Corp. has chosen for
\nits next generation mobile computing specification, the successor
\nof the Centrino that we are all familiar with.<\/p>\n
So what should a new Sonoma notebook have? A faster processor,
\ncertainly. Intel now has 0.09 micron Pentium Mobile processors
\nwith clock speeds of up to 2.13 GHz. The performance is raised
\nfurther by using 2 MB of Level-2 cache memory, as opposed to only
\n1 MB used in the previous Pentium Mobile Processor generation.<\/p>\n
Secondly, a Sonoma notebook should have a Mobile Intel 915
\nExpress chipset, which provides Intel High Definition Audio as
\nwell. Thirdly, it should also use a 533 MHz Front-side Bus (FSB)
\nwith Double Data Rate 2.0 (DDR2) memory.<\/p>\n
And, for the hard disk, a Sonoma should use the Serial ATA
\ninterface. The notebook manufacturer should also throw in Intel's
\nPRO\/Wireless 2915ABG or 2200BG wireless LAN chips.<\/p>\n
The result is a very fast notebook. The code name \"Sonoma\",
\nwhich is actually the name of a wine-producing county in
\nCalifornia, has been officially replaced with \"The Next
\nGeneration Centrino.\"<\/p>\n
Courtesy of NEXcom, Fujitsu Japan's Authorized Business
\nPartner for Indonesia, I was able to play around with a Sonoma-
\nclass notebook from this vendor. As you may have noticed, Fujitsu
\nhas succeeded in building a strong reputation for making quality
\nnotebooks. The company's Lifebooks have also become a very
\npopular choice among Indonesians who use a notebook for work.<\/p>\n
The model I was given to review was the Lifebook E8020; \"E\"
\nstanding for \"Excellence\", so they said. Price tag was around US$
\n2,450.00.<\/p>\n
I can swear I could feel the speed the moment I turned it on.
\nThe unit ran on a Pentium Mobile Processor 770. Unfortunately, I
\nwas given a fresh demo unit -- I was the first to use it -- and I
\ndid not have the heart to install any additional software to test
\nactual performance. But, this computer burns rubber.<\/p>\n
Performance was not the only thing that impressed me. Lifebook
\nE8020 has almost all of the features that a computer user might
\never need. Mind you, not many notebook models still give you
\nparallel and serial ports, but this one does.<\/p>\n
It has a FireWire IEEE 1394 port, four USB 2.0 ports, an RJ-45
\nport for Ethernet connections, an RJ-11 port for the phone line,
\na PS\/2 port for a keyboard or mouse, SPDIF, an S-Video out port,
\na hot-swappable DVD\/CD-RW combo drive, two audio ports (audio
\nin\/out), a Secure Digital (SD) and MultiMediaCard (MMC) reader, a
\nnew standard ExpressCard slot in addition to the regular PC-Card
\nslots, and a pointing stick-touchpad combination.<\/p>\n
There is also a port replicator interface, if you ever needed
\none.<\/p>\n
What Fujitsu has put inside is no less impressive. Besides the
\ntop-of-the-line Intel Mobile Processor, my Lifebook came with an
\n80 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard disk that supported S.M.A.R.T., a
\ntechnology that continuously monitors the health of the hard disk
\nand will alert you if it begins to show signs of trouble. For the
\ngraphics subsystem, it uses ATI Mobility Radeon X600 PCI Express
\nGraphics x16. The model I reviewed had 512 MB of 533 MHz FSB
\nDDR2, while the graphics subsystem had 64MB of dedicated memory.<\/p>\n
On top of all this there was a bright 15-inch XGA+ TFT screen,
\nBluetooth and infrared. For security, you can lock the BIOS, the
\nhard disk, the entire notebook or use a Smart Card. The keyboard
\ncannot be compared to the one on an IBM ThinkPad, of course, but
\nit is still fairly comfortable to use. The generous palmrest
\ndoesn't overheat, which is a good comfort factor. Fujitsu claims
\nthat the battery for the model that I tested will last 3.7 hours.
\nWhat else would you need from a notebook?<\/p>\n
Built sturdy and strong, this notebook is not really a head-
\nturner, perhaps befitting of a performance-oriented notebook.<\/p>\n
I was told that most Fujitsu Lifebooks were noted for their
\nlong-lasting hinges. In the ten days I played around with it, I
\ncame to appreciate Fujitsu's workmanship. Still, there are a
\ncouple of things that I think could have been done to improve its
\nergonomics.<\/p>\n
First of all, the DVD-RW drive should have been placed on the
\nright instead of on the left side, as most of us are right-
\nhanded. I also think that the audio jacks for the headphone and
\nthe microphone should also be moved from the front to the side to
\nminimize risk of damage.<\/p>\n
The placement of the buttons below the touchpad makes it
\nimpossible for us to use the pointing stick on the keyboard and
\nclick with the left button with one hand. We would need to use
\nboth hands.<\/p>\n
These buttons should have been placed on top of the touchpad.
\nFortunately, we can tap on the stick's head to simulate the
\nclick. Nonetheless, I like the scroll button very much. It is
\nvery intuitive and very easy to use.<\/p>\n
Being so accustomed to my ThinkPad T40 travel companion, the
\n2.9 kg Lifebook E8020 felt much heavier at first. The weight is
\ncompletely understandable for a notebook such as this, however.
\nMy final verdict: If you need a plain-looking but truly powerful
\nand high-quality notebook that you can still take with you on the
\nroad without actually causing too much muscle strain, Lifebook
\nE8020 is definitely the one.<\/p>",
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