Fujitsu Debuts XP Tablet

Fujitsu Computer Systems Corp. this week will introduce a notebook PC for users looking for a tablet-style computer that lets them stick with Microsoft Corp.s Windows XP.

The LifeBook P1500 will run Windows XP Professional rather than any version of the Tablet PC operating system as a way to keep costs down and let customers leverage their current standardization on XP, according to Fujitsu officials in Sunnyvale, Calif.

Fujitsu does plan to release a similar system that runs Windows XP Pro Tablet PC Edition by the end of the year, officials said. In the meantime, for those who want to take advantage of the P1500s touch-screen, Fujitsu offers optional third-party note-taking and handwriting recognition software from EverNote Corp.

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"The full-blown tablet PCs ... just havent sold that well," said C.A. Nix, president and founder of Medical Technologies Practice LLC, in Cumming, Ga., which installs computer systems for health care offices. "[The P1500] doesnt have bells and whistles, but it has the basics, like touch, and the battery life is amazing," he said.

The P1500, which will replace Fujitsus P1120 notebook, comes with either a three-cell battery, for up to 3.5 hours of battery life, or a six-cell battery, for up to 7 hours, officials said.

The P1500 runs an Ultra Low Voltage Pentium M processor from Intel Corp. For optional WLAN (wireless LAN) capabilities, it uses Atheros Communications Inc.s Super AG chip set, which supports 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g.

The P1500, priced at $1,499, weighs 2.2 pounds and has an 8.9-inch display that can be rotated and tilted so customers can use it either in tablet or notebook mode. The P1500 also has an optional port replicator for those who want to use the notebook as a desktop PC.

Convertible sales are exceeding sales of the keyboard-less slate tablets and will continue to do so, according to International Data Corp., a consultancy in Framingham, Mass.

Separately, Hewlett-Packard Co. will phase out its slate-style tablet PC, the tc1100, at the end of the year, said Mike Hockey, a spokesperson for the Palo Alto, Calif., company. HP added a convertible tablet, the tc4200, in February.

Hockey declined to comment on whether HP will provide a direct replacement for the tc1100, but he said HP plans to offer the tc4200 to customers in its place.

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