Design
Weighing 3.0 pounds and measuring 1.9 inches thick, the MH380 is one of the heaviest and chunkiest netbooks. The fact that the six-cell battery juts out from the bottom of the system doesn’t help matters, either. Still, this is one of the more attractive netbooks we’ve laid eyes on, thanks to the glossy ruby red lid and deck. This chassis also has modern rounded edges and a classy chrome treatment on the inner hinge. Unlike the earlier M2010, Fujitsu wisely minimized its infinity symbol logo. Too bad there aren’t other color options. Although the MH380 felt solid at first, we noticed that the bezel and hinge creaked a bit as we raised and lowered the display, which raises some doubts about long-term durability. Also, the lid picked up some fingerprints during our testing, though we’ve seen worse.

Keyboard & Touchpad
The Netbook’s upper lid opens up farther than normal, which is useful when typing on small machines such as this one. Oddly, Fujitsu centered the Lifebook’s round screen hinge far back from the keyboard, in line with the bulky battery that juts from its bottom like a long kickstand. It gives the Lifebook a unique appearance, but offers no real value. Fujitsu includes an array of four LED indicators at the top and bottom of the keyboard; however, they mostly served as a distraction. The Netbook’s small chrome power button, which is above the Num lock key, is the only discrete button other than the keyboard’s keys.

As far as that keyboard goes, it’s a throwback and an annoyance: this Fujitsu has one of the few tapered keyboards left in the Netbook world. While the keys have good travel and feel, they’re a little too small, especially on the right side of the board where the comma, period, and shift keys lie. Fujitsu squeezed directional-arrow keys in on the keyboard and changed the relative position of all those keys, shifting the shift key to the left and making other keys hard to find, much less to press. The Netbook’s palm rest space is adequate, but it is not exceptional.

Fujitsu’s keyboard changes are minor compared with what it did to the Netbook’s touch pad. According to Fujitsu, customers requested the design that it implemented on the MH380, which carves off a good third of the touch pad’s real estate and gives it to a circular concave dimple of plastic that acts as a scroll wheel. It took us a while to figure out how to use it, but the wheel lets you dial your finger clockwise or counterclockwise to scroll Web pages or documents. Most touch pads just use the far right strip to accomplish this. The remaining postage-stamp-size square of touch pad is barely enough to work with, and the tiny buttons beneath it are just as bad. If you’re going to be bold enough to introduce a feature like this to grab attention, it had better be an improvement over what it’s replacing in the first place.

The Netbook’s touch pad has a somewhat annoying momentum-scrolling option automatically activated, which makes the pointer slide around the screen as if it’s on ice. You can deactivate the setting in the touch pad control panel, but the software buries it in a number of submenus.

Display and Audio
You might think that a 1366 x 768-pixel display on a 10-inch netbook is overkill (most top out at 1024 x 600), but it makes a big difference when surfing the Web. You can see more of your favorite sites on the MH380 without scrolling. The LED-backlit display is also quite bright, with excellent horizontal viewing angles. Photos looked vibrant and well saturated. A Hulu episode of Fringe looked fine until we blew it up to full-screen mode, at which point playback started to stutter (though that’s a biproduct of weak integrated graphics).

The twin speakers on the front of the MH380 delivered loud and clear sound when we cranked up Coldplay’s “Fix You” in Pandora. We noticed very little distortion, even at 100 percent volume.

Performance
Like most recently released netbooks, the MH380 is powered by Intel’s Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 5,400-rpm hard drive. This netbook turned in a score of 1,389 in PCMark05 (which measures Windows performance), which is lower than the netbook category average (1,466) as well as the scores for the HP Mini 5102 (1,408) and ASUS Eee PC 1005PE-P (Seashell) (1,410). However, this is slightly higher than the Sony VAIO W Series (1,368). On the other hand, the MH380’s Geekbench score of 918 is higher than the category average (854), second only to the VAIO W Series’ 921 among the above systems. The 5,400-rpm, 250GB hard drive took a relatively long 1 minute and 19 seconds to boot into Windows 7 Starter Edition. The MH380 fared better on the LAPTOP Transfer Test, taking 4 minutes and 27 seconds (19.1 MBps) to transfer 4.97GB of mixed media files from one folder to another on the system, well above the 16.2 MBps average but behind the Eee PC 1005PE-P (26.4 MBps).

With the 6000 Series, Fujitsu finally bowed to the pressure of converting to a fashionable 16:10 ratio “wide format” display. While the 5000 Series used the “old” 4:3 aspect ratio, the ST6012 comes with a transmissive 12.1-inch display with WXGA 1280 x 800 pixel resolution. While older Fujitsu slates were usually available with a variety of displays both in size (10.4 and 12.1 inches) and display technology, the 6000 Series, for now, seems limited to the 12.1 inch transmissive LCD. This is an indoor/outdoor-viewable display with a wide 160+ degree viewing angle.

Overall dimensions have not changed much. If you look at the older ST5100 model, you can see that the design already provided room for a wide-screen format. What has changed is some of the ergonomics. Whereas the 5100 Series had all of its hardware controls arranged on the right side (when used in portrait mode), the new model moved the four cursor control keys to the upper left. The overall look has changed as well, with the silver metallic finish of the 5100 being replaced by matte black.

The complete redesign afforded Fujitsu the opportunity to update the Stylistic’s innards with Intel’s latest processor technology. The ST6000 uses a 1.4GHz Intel SU94000 Core 2 Duo processor that provides more punch, but is rated at the same thermal design power of about ten watts, which means battery life of the new machine won’t suffer. The new chip is complemented with Intel’s GS45 and ICH9-M chipset and Mobile Intel GMA 4500M HD circuitry for graphics. For wireless, the new Fujitsu slate is available either with the Intel WiFi Link 5300 or the Atheros HB92, so Fujitsu continues to make WiFi available from either Intel or Atheros.

On the connectivity side, things have changed a bit. There is no longer a modem port, and IEEE1394 FireWire also has gone by the wayside; with USB 2.0 so fast, there really isn’t a need for it anymore for most applications. The PC Card slot has been replaced with an ExpressCard slot, another sign of the times (the model offered in the US lists a PC Card slot), and there is now a 1.3 megapixel integrated vidcam. Else, Fujitsu offers Bluetooth v2.1, 3G/UMTS wide area wireles (three dual band WLAN and two UMTS antennas, according to Fujitsu literature).

As far as the operating system goes, Fujitsu offers a “TwinLoad.” The ST6000 models come with pre-installed Vista Business, but users also get downgrade rights and can easily change to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.
As usual, Fujitsu offers several optional stands and docks and other accessories needed for business or vertical market applications.

Battery life remains impressive: initially listed as up to six hours with the standard 56 watt-hour battery, and up to nine hours with the high-capacity 84 watt-hour battery, Fujitsu upped the estimates to 7.5 and 11.5 hours. 2.5-inch hard disks are shock-mounted and come in larger capacities than ever, ranging up to a 250GB 5400rpm SATA drive. Optionally you can also get a 64GB solid state disk.

As of early October 2008, the ST6000 model was listed on the Fujitsu Siemens website in great detail. As of this update (March 2009), the ST6012 is also on the Fujitsu USA site with minor differences in specs.
There isn’t much information on ruggedness. Fujitsu has a general white paper on testing, wuality and reliability, but it does not show what tests are performed on which product (see here). As is, Fujitsu mentions a shck-mounted hard disk, a Fujitsu Shock Sensor Utility, 41-95 degree operating temperature, but no sealing or drop spec. This information is becoming increasingly important.

The Stylistic ST6000 platform is a reliable, well executed slate computer from a blue-chip vendor that gets the job done. The new models are technologically up-to-date, provide a good balance between performance and battery life, and remain light and handy. Note that the ST6000 and ST5100 lines are now the only remaining full tablet in Fujitsu’s lineup; all other Tablet PC models are notebook convertibles (T1010, T2020, T4220, T5010).

The CTL 2Go Convertible Classmate PC NL2 is one of the few 10 inch netvertibles I’ve tested that seems to be more than simply a netbook with a touchscreen slapped on. It has a webcam that rotates 270 degrees so you use it whether the computer is in laptop or tablet mode. There are page up and page down buttons built into the side of the display so you can easily scroll through documents in tablet mode. And the computer is choc full of touch-friendly software, whether you buy the netbook with Windows 7 Starter Edition or Windows 7 Professional. The NL2 convertible tablet also features a rugged design with a thick rubber case that helps protect the computer from scratches and light falls. There’s a sensor which shuts down the hard drive in the event of a fall to prevent damage. And the keyboard is spill resistant.

There’s even a handle built into the case, but unlike previous Classmate PC handles which always stuck out and looked a bit awkward, this one is retractable and looks like it’s just part of the case when not in use. The computer does have some problems. The 1024 x 600 pixel display is more than good enough for most tasks in landscape mode, but if you hold the tablet in portrait mode it turns into a 600 x 1024 screen which isn’t wide enough for viewing many applications or web pages. And the auto-screen rotate feature is sluggish and sometimes simply doesn’t work. The model featured in this review runs $599 and comes with a 10.1 inch, 1024 x 600 pixel resistive touchscreen display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450 processor, Windows 7 Professional, 1GB of RAM, and a 160 hard drive. It has 802.11b/g/n WiFi, 2 USB ports, and a 4-in-1 card reader. The cheaper $499 model ships with Windows 7 Starter Edition or Windows XP. And in the coming weeks and months we’ll see additional options including 3G, WiMAX and GPS capabilities, a capacitive touchscreen, and a higher resolution 1366 x 768 pixel display.

Design
Like previous Classmate PCs, this netbook’s kid-friendly elements take precedence over aesthetics. However, gone is the leathery, Velcro-attached cover. Instead, the gray, rubberized layer encases the whole 10.5 x 7.6 x 1.2-inch system, giving the Classmate a classier air. The rounded corners and tapered edges keep the netbook looking sleek even though it’s bulkier than regular netbooks and only slightly smaller than Dell’s brick of a student netbook, the Latitude 2100. The Classmate NL2 isn’t exactly fashion-forward, but it’s an improvement.

Under the hood, the white, gray, and black palette continues to dominate with light blue accents here and there. The matte bezel around the 10.1-inch display is filled with buttons and lights, giving kids access to key functions while in tablet mode. The speakers also sit on the display bezel at the bottom.

A somewhat cramped keyboard (which should be fine for the target audience) and fairly small touchpad take up most of the deck, which is otherwise bare except for Caps and Number Lock indicator lights and two small indentations at the top. These help keep the display from wiggling on its swivel hinge when the lid is closed. The triangle-shaped stylus is more comfortable to use than the previous convertible Classmate and stows away snugly in a port on the left side.

The ruggedizing touches add weight: the Classmate is 3.6 pounds, almost a pound heavier than the average netbook. The integrated handle also adds to the heft, but since it’s retractable it doesn’t ruin the netbook’s smooth lines, and makes it easier to carry. While its rounded edges and rubber coating made it comfortable to hold either in portrait or landscap mode, it usually ended up on the table or our lap; we quickly tired of holding the NL2 in the crook of our arm.

Tablet performance
The CTL 2Go Convertible Classmate PC NL2 is a bit of a mixed bag when used as a tablet. On the one hand, it’s probably one of the best Intel Atom powered tablets I’ve used to date due to the software that came with this computer and a few key design decisions. On the other hand, saying it’s one of the best isn’t really saying much. I’m starting to think that while the Intel Atom processor is more than capable of powering a typical netbook it might not be fast enough to handle the demands of running Windows 7 on a tablet-based computer. While capacitive multitouch displays are all the rage these days, the base model of the NL2 ships with a resistive, single-input touchscreen. That means you can use the included stylus or your fingernail to tap at the screen. But it won’t recognize more than one input at a time, and it can’t perform two-finger gestures such as pinch to zoom. In fact, it won’t even notice if you touch the screen with your fingertip.

This is a good and a bad thing. It’s good because it makes it much easier to write notes on the display than it would be with a capacitive display which only recognizes finger input. Since the NL2 is designed for classroom use, handwriting support is pretty important. The computer won’t recognize any input from your palm if you happen to rest your palm on the screen while using the stylus to write — much the way you would with a piece of paper. But a resistive display still isn’t the best screen type for handwriting, since it doesn’t recognize variable pressure. That means you can’t differentiate thick strokes from light ones, which makes it touch to write accurately and even tougher to draw. For that kind of precision, you need an active digitizer, which would drive up the cost significantly. You can pull up the Blue Dolphin software from any screen by hitting the Home button on the side of the screen. If you hit the Home button twice you bring up the “Quick Controller app which lets you adjust the volume and screen brightness, calibrate the display, and enable or disable auto screen rotation. The $599 model also comes with Windows 7 Professional, which includes a number of optimizations for touchscreen displays. For instance, any time you tap a text input box in a web browser or other application, an option to launch the on-screen keyboard will appear. And tapping and holding on a shortcut, link, or other part of the screen will simulate the action of right-clicking a mouse button.

There’s also support for “flicks,” which let you navigate through Internet Explorer and other applications by flicking your stylus across the screen instead of relying on scrollbars. You can also use flicks to perform certain editing tasks such as copy, paste, and undo.
By far the biggest problem with using the computer in tablet mode is that a 600 x 1024 x display just doesn’t give you much real estate for displaying web sites or applications designed for larger screens. Even the Blue Dolphin program launcher will only show you a single row of program icons when you’re holding the tablet in portrait mode.

Performance
The 1.67-GHz Intel Atom N450 CPU and 1GB of RAM earned the Classmate NL2 a score of 1,090 in PCMark Vantage, almost 200 marks below the netbook category average (1,231) and the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t convertible (1,227). The Classmate’s Geekbench score of 848 is only 20 points below average (868) and more than 40 points ahead of the Viliv S10 Blade convertible (803). Unfortunately, it lags far behind the IdeaPad S10-3t (961) and the ASUS Eee PC 1001P (908). This performance delta was most noticeable when multitasking. While writing this review in Open Office Writer, we switched between Art Rage, Windows Media Center, and Google Chrome with up to 8 tabs open. The browser began to slow once we created more than five tabs, and background tasks like streaming audio made the system more sluggish.

By contrast, the 5,400-rpm, 160GB hard drive is speedier than the competition. It completed the LAPTOP Transfer Test in 3 minutes and 28 seconds for a transfer rate of 24.5 MBps. This speed is comfortably ahead of the IdeaPad S10-3t (22.1 MBps), the Eee PC 1001P (17.5 MBps), and the category average (16.7 MBps). The S10 Blade’s score of 9.4 MBps doesn’t even come close.

Though the hard drive is fairly fast, the boot time of 1:10 is slower than both the average (1:01) and the Dell Latitude 2100’s speedy 35 seconds; this is most likely due to the Blue Dolphin interface that loads on startup.

Intel’s integrated GMA 3150 graphics earned the Classmate NL2 a score of just 150 on 3DMark06, which is on a par with most other netbooks with this chipset such as the Eee PC 1001P (155) and far better than the Latitude 2100 (122). But the IdeaPad S10-3t trumps it with a score of 164, and the netbook average (which includes Nvidia Ion systems) of 214 is over 60 marks ahead. We don’t expect students to do any video transcoding on the NL2, and that’s good because it took the netbook 8 minutes and 29 seconds to transcode a 5:05 MPEG-4 video clip (114MB) to the AVI format using Oxelon Media Converter. This is almost 2:30 longer than the netbook average (6:01) and well behind the IdeaPad S10-3t (5:51), Eee PC 1001P (6:02), and even the Viliv S10 Blade (6:42). Despite the low graphics scores, standard definition video runs smoothly on the Classmate, though the system struggled with a 720p trailer for The Discoverers. And we were able to watch Hulu and YouTube video at full screen with minimal hitching.

Design
When you drop almost $2,000 on a notebook, you expect high-end build quality. So when we popped the lid on the Battalion 101, we were disappointed by its look and feel, largely due to iBuyPower’s overreliance on plastic throughout the chassis. Within one day of the unit arriving in our office, an iBuyPower sticker that was on the back of the laptop had fallen off, which came as no surprise to us since the lid has a textured checkerboard pattern, and is probably not a good place to adhere something.

The overall look is handsome but subdued for a gaming notebook. Our unit was dark brown with small, silver-colored accents around the touchpad, hinges, and base of the unit. The back cover has a matte brown finish, which carries over across the wrist pad. Just above the keyboard is a black metallic finished area, which is home to the power button, an e-mail shortcut, a Web shortcut, and a silent/normal mode button. For a 15-inch system, the Battalion 101 isn’t overly bulky, weighing 7.1 pounds and measuring a backpack-friendly 10.6 x 14.3 x 1.9 inches.

Keyboard
The keyboard layout may also disappoint some gamers. While the laptop is wide enough to fit a full sized keyboard with a numeric keypad, it uses a more traditional laptop keyboard design. In addition to this, the left side control button is shifted in to make room for the function key. This breaks the layout that is typically used for navigating through many of today’s games.

Display and Audio
The Battalion 101 has a 15.4-inch screen with a high-definition 1680 x 1050-pixel resolution. Colors were vibrant, both inside games and out: An episode of Heroes played from a DVD looked bright and saturated, and we appreciated the deep blacks that the display offered. The screen was bright enough to display a clear picture even under our fluorescent office lights, but its glossy finish resulted in a lot of glare. Still, viewing angles were good enough that an extra person could comfortably sit in on a ‘frag fest or DVD without losing color quality.

While listening to Eric Church’s “Carolina,” the two speakers (located just above the keyboard) were sufficiently loud for a small dorm room or office, but the audio wasn’t very clear, and there was distinguishable rattling at high volumes.

Port
Those looking to attach a wide range of peripherals beyond gaming accessories may be disappointed to learn that the port selection on the Battalion 101 CZ-10 is fairly limited. While it does come equipped with four USB 2.0 ports, it does not come with either a FireWire or eSATA ports common to many 15-inch laptops. This prevents the system from being used with high speed external storage and digital camcorders unless an ExpressCard peripheral is used to add these ports.

Performance
The Battalion 101 performed well in our benchmark tests. It had a score of 5,189 on PCMark Vantage, which is much better than the category average of 3,789 points, and only about 90 points below the Alienware M17x, which costs more than twice as much. Opening new windows in Internet Explorer 8 was almost instantaneous, and larger programs such as Windows Media Center took about two seconds to open; this speed is likely a direct result of the system’s 4GB of RAM.

Our unit’s 500GB, 7,200-rpm hard drive completed our LAPTOP Transfer Test (duplicating 4.97GB of mixed media) in 3 minutes and 27 seconds, a rate of 24.6 MBps. That’s better than the category average for mainstream notebooks by about 6 MBps, but about 4 MBps slower than the ASUS G51Vx, which costs about half as much as the Battalion 101.
Graphics

The discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 graphics chip offered more than enough muscle to slice through 3DMark06. We saw a score of 10,726, beating the current average by more than 4,500 points, and falling just behind two other 17-inch systems, the Alienware M17x (13,463) and ASUS W90 (11,310). The only 15-inch system that came close to the Battalion’s heels was the Sager NP8662, which scored 9,767 points. On 3DMark Vantage, the Battalion 101’s score of 5,431 was about 1,100 points above the category average, and about 50 points higher than the MSI GT725.

Embedded Standard operating system, the Kinysis provides the power needed to move your business forward. Field computing is expedited via the Kinysis’ wireless communications technology – standard in each unit – including Bluetooth®. Field operators can communicate in real-time with the main database, or collect data and synchronize it later, as needed.

The exterior keyboard makes data entry easy – even if wearing gloves – and the versatile touch-screen adds functionality yet is scratch- and shock-resistant. The Universal Imager features a 3MP camera with auto-focus, and includes video capture, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), 1D/2D barcode reader. It even features a 1D laser barcode reader.

The fully rugged Kinysis meets MIL-STD-810F for free-fall drop resistance, immersion, rain, humidity and vibration. Environmentally sealed to IP67, it can withstand immersion in up to 1 meter of water, and emerge with full functionality.

Numerous optional accessories are available depending on the need, and DAP’s modular technology allows customization, making the Kinysis (8900KS) the most versatile computer available today in the tablet form factor.

Features:
• Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard operating system
• Modular technology provides easy customization
• Fully rugged, sealed to IP67 and withstands wide temperature variations
• Anti-glare, half-SVGA LCD touch-screen featuring a transmissive TFT color display
• Full QWERTY or AZERTY keyboard suitable for use with gloved hands, plus a camera/barcode reader trigger
• Optional Universal Imager equipped with 3MP color camera or 1D/2D barcode reader, OCR and video capture

Detailed Specifications :
Operating System:
• Microsoft Windows® Embedded Standard
Processors:
• AMD® Geode™ LX800 Processor, 500MHz
• 64KB L1 D-Cache; 64KB L1 I-Cache; 128KB L2 Cache
Storage & Memory:
• 512MB DDRAM System Memory
• 4GB high-speed solid state drive; up to 32GB optional
Display:
• HSVGA 6.2″ 800 x 300 transmissive color TFT LCD, 350 nits
• Anti-glare, touch screen treatment.
• Passive touch screen of tempered glass, scratch and shock resistant;
• can be used with a stylus or finger
Wireless:
• Up to 3 radios, FCC, IC, CE, SAR*
• WLAN; IEEE 802.11 b/g/i; CCX V.4; WEP, WPA, WPA2; 14 channels North America and European support
• Bluetooth® 802.15 Class 1; V.2.1 compliant; HCI stack
• Optional integrated 5-bands, GPRS/EDGE/UMTS 3G mobile WWAN; internal antenna
Ports:
• Environmentally-sealed by design; no plastic cap or cover
• Optional Ethernet 100BASE-T
• USB Host and Ethernet via cradle
• Power and recharge jack (10 to 20Vdc /2A)
Expansion Slots:
• 2 serial ports [1x TTL 5Vdc or 3.3Vdc/0.5A and 1x RS 232 5Vdc (TX/RX/CTS/RTS)]
• 1 power connector; 5Vdc/1.5A, 3.3Vdc/1.5A
• 1 SD slot (SDHC, up to 32GB)
• 1 SIM port for optional WWAN module
Integrated Options:
• Universal Imager with 3MP camera with auto-focus, 1D/2D barcode reader, OCR and video capture
• Optional Ethernet 100BASE-T, RJ45 on casing (100Mbps)
• Optional USB Host and sealed DB9 (RS232) or LEMO serial connector on Expansion Bay Door
• Integrated 1D laser barcode scanner
Keyboard:
• 64-key keypad (QWERTY or AZERTY), highly resistant to chemicals and abrasion
• Dedicated function keys; large independent numeric keypad; grouped direction keys
• Adjustable keyboard backlight
• Assignable trigger on underside of case
Graphics / Audio:
• AC97 compliant audio codec
• Integrated and environmentally-sealed speaker and microphone
• Environmentally-sealed head-set and microphone jack (stereo head-set)
Power Supply:
• 1 Primary internal battery, 2600 mAh, 7.4V Lithium-Ion; runs independent of secondary battery
• 1 Secondary battery, hot-swappable, 2400 mAh, 7.4V Lithium-Ion 37WH total capacity
• Advanced Power Management
Dimensions & Weight:
• 230 x 185 x 60mm (9.00″ x 7.28″ x 2.36″)
• 1416g (3.12 lbs)
Approvals:
• FCC Class B, IC, CE, SAR* certified
• RoHS
• Class B 21 CFR Chapter I, Subpart J, Part 1040.10 (Laser Barcode Scanner)
• IEC 60825-1: 1993+A1: 1997 + A2: 2001 (Class 2 Laser Product)
Environmental:
• Temperature:
• Operating: -4 °F to +122 °F (-20 °C to +50 °C)
• Storage: -40 °F to +140 °F (-40 °C to +60 °C) with battery
• Meets MIL-STD-810F method 502.4 procedure I & II, Method 501.4 procedure I & II
• Free Fall Drop Resistance:
• Meets : IEC 68-2-32 method 1 (Multiple 1m drops on concrete, -20 °C / ambient T° / +50 °C)
• Meets : MIL-STD-810F method 516.5 procedure IV (Multiple 4 feet drops on plywood,
• ambient T°)
• Immersion, Rain and Humidity:
• MIL-STD-810F method 512.4 procedure I
• IP67 (1 meter immersion)
• MIL-STD-810F method 506.4 procedure I (wind blown rain)
• Humidity: 95% non-condensing
• Vibration
• MIL-STD-810F method 514.5, procedure I, category 20 (terrestrial vehicle) and category 24
• Electrostatic Discharge
• Meets: EN 61000-4-2
Security Features:
• Microsoft Windows® XP security features
• WLAN security standards: WEP, WPA, WPA2
• Extensible authentication protocol types: EAP-FAST, EAP-TLS, PEAP-GTC, PEAP-MSCHAPv2, LEAP
Warranty:
• Manufacturer’s warranty: 1-year limited warranty, parts & labor
• Optional 3-year warranty extension
• Optional DAPCare program

1. Pick an unsuspecting victim. Make sure this person’s desktop computer is already turned on and logged in, unless you know his login.

2. Make sure the coast is clear and then sit at the person’s desk. Quickly press and hold the “Ctrl” and “Alt” keys together.

3. Depending on which way you want the screen to flip, press one of the arrow keys while still holding the “Ctrl” and “Alt” keys. Up = right side up, Right = 90 degrees, Down = 180 degrees and Left = 270 degrees.

4. Once you have the screen flipped, let go of the keys and quickly make your getaway. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the fun to begin. Be prepared for some freaking out if the person thinks the computer has contracted a virus.

5. Step in and reveal the joke before the situation goes too far. After all, if you do this at work you don’t want PC Support coming to the rescue over a practical joke since that could mean trouble for you.

Tips & Warnings

1. To fix the screen, follow Step 3 until the screen is returned to normal.
2. This normally only works with Windows XP operating system, but you can try it with Vista.
3. If you try this at work, make sure you will not get in trouble for pulling a prank.

If money is not much of an object, check out the DigitalTigers product called SideCar that lets you run as many as four external monitors from your laptop. You end up with a huge desktop display and still have the mobility of a laptop.

However, I have an old laptop with a perfectly good display going to waste in my basement. The laptop itself is almost useless—the keyboard is flaky, the mouse buttons don’t work, and the hard drive is barely large enough to install Windows XP. I found a way to turn that laptop into a second external monitor though, and it didn’t require any extra hardware.

As a laptop user, you probably know that you can connect an external monitor to the video connector on your laptop and switch the display from the laptop’s small LCD to the larger external monitor. In this situation, you see the same image on both the laptop’s LCD and the external monitor. However, if you’re running Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home on your laptop and have a supported video adapter and a recent video adapter driver installed, when you connect an external monitor to your laptop, you can configure a multiple monitor environment using the DualView feature. You can then extend your desktop across two monitors, so that you can surf the Internet on one monitor while you take notes in Word on the other monitor.

Activating the DualView feature
If you have a video adapter with built-in DualView functionality and a video adapter driver that can access the feature, activating Windows XP’s DualView feature is a snap. To begin, you should shut down your laptop and make sure the external monitor is turned off. Then connect the monitor to the video connector on your laptop.

Once you have Windows XP up and running again, turn on the external monitor. If your laptop is like most, you’ll have a special hotkey keystroke combination that will allow you to switch between the individual monitors as well as activate both monitors at the same time. You should switch the setting such that only the laptop monitor is activated. Doing so will ensure that the second monitor is properly configured.

Then, access the Display Properties dialog box by right-clicking the desktop and selecting the Properties command. Next, select the Settings tab. When you do, your dialog box should look similar to the one shown in Figure A.

To continue, select the second monitor icon in the graphic. When you see that the Extend My Windows Desktop Onto This Monitor check box is enabled, select it, as shown in Figure B. At this point, if you hover your mouse over the monitor graphics, you’ll see that number 1 is listed as the Primary Display and number 2 is listed as the Secondary Display with a set of numbers in parentheses.

For example, with a screen resolution of 800 by 600, the coordinates would be (800,0). This set of coordinates indicates at what location the second monitor icon starts. If you wish, you can click and drag either monitor icon to any position. When you’re finished, click Apply. As soon as you do, your second monitor will come to life.

Depending on how you positioned the monitor icons, you may want to make sure that they correctly represent your actual monitor’s physical positions. To investigate, click the Identify button at the bottom of the dialog box. You’ll then see large number appear on each monitor icon showing which monitor corresponds with each icon.

To complete the DualView configuration, just click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box. You can then begin using the two monitors to spread out your work.

Design
Weighing 3.0 pounds and measuring 1.9 inches thick, the MH380 is one of the heaviest and chunkiest netbooks. The fact that the six-cell battery juts out from the bottom of the system doesn’t help matters, either. Still, this is one of the more attractive netbooks we’ve laid eyes on, thanks to the glossy ruby red lid and deck. This chassis also has modern rounded edges and a classy chrome treatment on the inner hinge. Unlike the earlier M2010, Fujitsu wisely minimized its infinity symbol logo. Too bad there aren’t other color options.

Although the MH380 felt solid at first, we noticed that the bezel and hinge creaked a bit as we raised and lowered the display, which raises some doubts about long-term durability. Also, the lid picked up some fingerprints during our testing, though we’ve seen worse.

Keyboard, Scroll Wheel, and Touchpad
While we criticized the earlier M2010 for its cramped keyboard and oddly placed right shift key, the MH380 has one of the best netbook keyboards yet. All of the keys are located where touch typists would prefer, and the keys themselves provided solid and springy feedback with little flex. We could type quickly on this system within the first few minutes.

The MH380’s standout feature is its scroll wheel, which consists of a small divot to the right of the touchpad. By tracing a finger in a circular motion, we could quickly move up and down Web pages. Yes, the right area of most touchpads mimics this functionality, but many users don’t know that. While you can also use this wheel for zooming in and out on photos, we found it erratic in this mode.

As handy as some may find the scroll wheel, it results in one of the smallest touchpads we’ve ever seen on any laptop (1.8 x 1.3 inches). And the mouse buttons aren’t much larger than Tic Tacs, even though they provide decent feedback. We’d classify the experience as initially claustrophobic but usable. Just be sure to turn off the annoying momentum gesture on the touchpad, which tries to compensate for its small size by shooting the cursor across the screen, trackball-style.

Ports and Webcam
This netbook’s port selection is standard fare, with the left side housing the Kensington lock slot and two USB 2.0 ports. A VGA port, Ethernet jack, and third USB 2.0 port line the right side of the MH380. Up front you’ll find the headphone and microphone jacks, along with the SD Card slot.

In our tests using Skype, the 1.3-megapixel webcam on this netbook delivered blotchy video calls. They were also slow to start. However, we like the bundled CyberLink YouCam software, which lets you add fun special effects. Audio quality was loud and clear in both directions.
Performance

Like most recently released netbooks, the MH380 is powered by Intel’s Atom N450 processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 5,400-rpm hard drive. This netbook turned in a score of 1,389 in PCMark05 (which measures Windows performance), which is lower than the netbook category average (1,466) as well as the scores for the HP Mini 5102 (1,408) and ASUS Eee PC 1005PE-P (Seashell) (1,410). However, this is slightly higher than the Sony VAIO W Series (1,368). On the other hand, the MH380’s Geekbench score of 918 is higher than the category average (854), second only to the VAIO W Series’ 921 among the above systems.

Verdict
The LifeBook MH380 is miles better than it predecessor, and while it looks like a gimmick at first, its scroll wheel works relatively well. We also like the comfortable keyboard, ultra-bright HD display, and loud speakers. Among premium netbooks with high-def screens, we prefer the MH380 over the sleeker VAIO W Series ($449) because the Fujitsu machine has a better keyboard. On the other hand, for many netbook shoppers the MH380’s touchpad will be too tiny and its $449 price tag too steep. The MH380 is a step in the right direction for Fujitsu, but the $399 Toshiba mini NB305 and $379 ASUS Eee PC 1005PE-P are better values.

As the sequel to one of our favorite all-around Netbooks, the HP Mini 5102 has some pretty big shoes to fill. It wasn’t HP’s choice in components that we liked about its business line 10-inch system–after all, most 2009 Netbooks shared a very uniform set of parts–it was the overall design and build quality of the Netbook we liked.

Design
Like the Mini 5101, the 5102 very much looks and feels like a shrunken HP ProBook, which is a compliment. With little additional cost over a regular netbook, you get a case with anodized aluminum on top and magnesium alloy on the bottom. Add in a soft-touch treatment on the deck and a clear HP DuraKeys coating for the keyboard, and you have a netbook that can stand up to a fair amount of abuse. Not that the 5102 doesn’t have style. The lid on our unit was a slick black, but you can also choose red or blue, a color treatment that carries over to the deck. HP engineers also added a few nice little features to the design of the Mini 5102 that I really appreciated. First, the battery features a button and LED meter so that you can quickly see how much charge is left in the battery. Four blue lights mean you’ve got a full charge and three blue LEDs and one blinking LED means you have somewhere between 75% and 100% remaining. Sure, the on-screen battery meter is more accurate but this little feature let’s you know if you need to bring your AC adapter without powering on your netbook. Another nice feature is the quick release switch for the RAM cover. Simply release the battery and then slide the right-side battery release switch all the way to the left and you can instantly pop off the cover for the RAM module. This makes upgrading the RAM nice and easy. I actually wish more netbooks made upgrading the RAM as easy as this.

Keyboard and Touchpad
As previously mentioned, the HP Mini 5102 features a large, spill-resistant keyboard that is 95% of full size. Most of the primary keys are the same size as the keys you’ll find on a typical notebook and the spacing is likewise normal, but the space bar and some of the keys that are used less frequently are smaller than normal. If you prefer the shape and feel of traditional keys then you may not like this keyboard. That said, I personally prefer the “Chiclet” style keyboard used on this netbook since there is more space between the keys to prevent me from accidentally hitting the wrong key when working in tight quarters. The keys offer just the right amount of feedback and modest amount of “click and clack” noise while typing. I didn’t notice any flex in the keyboard even when I applied significant typing pressure. In short, I found the Mini 5102 was a joy to use when typing. The touchpad on the Mini 5102 is a bit small at 2.5 x 1.4 inches (compared to 3.1 x 1.6 inches for the Toshiba mini NB205). We’re also not fans of the glossy black surface; the resulting friction made it somewhat difficult to move the cursor. Still, the dedicated left and right mouse buttons, which received a soft rubberized treatment, responded well.

Display and Speakers
The 10.1-inch wide-screen display has a 1,024×600-pixel native resolution, which is the norm for low-end Netbooks. However, as a premium system with a premium price, we’d expect to see an HD 1,366×768-pixel screen as a default (it will be available as an optional upgrade). HP’s own Mini 311 includes the HD display for $399. Vertical viewing angles are average with some color distortion when viewing from below and some over-exposed colors when viewed from above. Horizontal viewing angles are better with colors remaining unchanged at extremely wide viewing angles; you won’t have trouble sharing a YouTube video with friends using this display.

For a netbook, the 5102 has booming sound. The front-firing speakers easily filled a small room when we cranked Fall Out Boy’s “I Don’t Care” on Pandora. The audio also wasn’t nearly as tinny as other netbooks we’ve heard, such as the Toshiba mini NB205. An episode of Fringe streamed on Hulu came through loud and clear. Granted, most audiophiles will want to use external speakers or headphones for a better listening experience … but the built-in speakers work well in a pinch. The audio output from the headphone jack produced some high frequency background noise/distortion with one of the headphones we used during testing, but other headphones worked fine with no distortion.

Image of HP Mini 5102

Ports
In terms of port selection the HP Mini 5102 offers the average bells and whistles we’ve come to expect on netbooks. You get three USB 2.0 ports, a 4-in-1 media card reader, dedicated headphone and microphone jacks, Ethernet port, a VGA output and a dedicated wireless on/off switch. When we conducted a video call over Skype, the other caller said that the picture was clear, but it was difficult to hear us. The audio improved when we tried again. Overall, the 2.0-megapixel webcam performed well, especially in low light.

Performance
The new Mini 5102 with the Intel Atom N450 processor didn’t show any obvious performance benefits compared to older netbooks using the Atom N280. Both processors offer the same specifications including a 1.66GHz clock speed, 667MHz FSB, and 512KB L2 cache. The main feature the N450 offers is the newer Intel GMA 3150 graphics whereas the N280 gets stuck with the GMA 950. In our synthetic performance tests the Mini 5102 produced almost identical performance numbers as the ASUS Eee PC 1005PE … a netbook with identical specs and a much lower price tag. Running Windows 7 Starter Edition, the Mini 5102 is equipped with a 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and 1GB of RAM, which combined to provide decent performance. This netbook scored 1,408 in PCMark05, which is 90 points below the netbook category average and more than 200 points behind the Mini 5101 we tested, which ran Windows XP. In Geekbench, the 5102 notched 896, which is more than 60 points above average (833).

Pros:
* Great build quality
* Nice keyboard
* Good pre-loaded software

Cons:
* Weak Atom processor
* Average touchpad (no multi-touch)

Spec
CPU 1.66-GHz Intel Atom N450
Operating System MS Windows 7 Starter
RAM 1GB
RAM Upgradable to 2GB
Hard Drive Size 160GB
Hard Drive Speed 7,200rpm
Hard Drive Type SATA Hard Drive
Display Size 10.1
Native Resolution 1024×600
Graphics Card Intel GMA 3150
Video Memory Shared
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n
Bluetooth Bluetooth 2.1
Mobile Broadband
Ports (excluding USB) Ethernet; Headphone; Kensington Lock; Microphone; VGA
USB Ports 3
Card Slots 2-1 card reader
Warranty/Support One-year limited/24/7 toll-free phone
Size 10.3 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
Weight 2.8 pounds