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Fujitsu LifeBook U810

Manufacturer: Fujitsu Part number: FPCM21341

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$819.00 - $949.99 at 7 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.0 stars Good
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 15 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: Ambitious but flawed, the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 has more of a traditional laptop design than other UMPCs, but the otherwise excellent keyboard is marred by the loss of several important keys.
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CNET editors' review

Fujitsu LifeBook U810

price range: $819.00 - $949.99

Reviewed by: Dan Ackerman
Edited by: Matthew Elliott
Reviewed on: 09/19/2007

The good: Best ultramobile PC keyboard yet; tablet functionality provides another input option; access to pointing stick even when the tablet lid is closed; inexpensive for a UMPC.

The bad: Too many keys double-mapped; no mobile broadband (yet); thick screen bezel makes display look even smaller; limited ports and connections.

The bottom line: Ambitious but flawed, the Fujitsu LifeBook U810 has more of a traditional laptop design than other UMPCs, but the otherwise excellent keyboard is marred by the loss of several important keys.

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The Fujitsu LifeBook U810 skirts the line between an ultraportable convertible tablet and a UMPC (that's ultramobile PC, if you haven't been paying attention). We've always liked UMPCs in theory--shrinking a laptop down in size to something you can almost pocket--but these systems, including the OQO model 02 and the Sony VAIO UX390, shed so much usability and so many features along the way that they are more like souped-up smart phones than actual computers. There's only so much one can do with a BlackBerry-style thumb keypad or, worse, an onscreen keyboard. And, sadly, they've been priced more like computers than smart phones.

The new $999 LifeBook U810 takes a different approach, mimicking a traditional laptop's design, shrunk down to a 5.6-inch swiveling touch screen, along with a fairly full-featured keyboard, fingerprint reader, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi (but no mobile broadband yet). It also runs Intel's mobile A110 CPU, which may account for its sometimes sluggish performance, as even full-size, dual-core laptops can struggle with Windows Vista. Though certainly ambitious, the U810 suffers from the same flaws we've seen in every UMPC to date, most notably, the awkward input options make it nearly impossible to take advantage of the full-fledged OS. Another, we found the 5.6-inch screen to be too small for everyday use and a bit too large for a portable Internet tool (perhaps the iPhone is better suited for that task). Still, for under $1,000, this is the best UMPC deal we've seen to date.

Price as reviewed / Starting price	$999
Processor	800MHz Intel A110
Memory	1GB, 400MHz DDR2
Hard drive	40GB 4,200rpm
Chipset	Intel 945
Graphics	Mobile Intel Express 945GM (integrated)
Operating system	Windows Vista Premium
Dimensions (WDH)	6.6 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
Screen size (diagonal)	5.6 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter [pounds]	1.6/2.2 pounds
Category	UMPC

Despite its diminutive size, the U810 shares a basic design with full-size laptops. Its closest cousin is probably the Vulcan FlipStart 1.0, which has more of a clamshell design. The U810 is slightly wider and deeper than the FlipStart, but also thinner by about half an inch. The unit is small enough to fit in a jacket pocket, but a large battery protruding from the rear mars the silhouette and may make it harder to stow.

Our review unit had a black keyboard tray and screen bezel, with a matte white lid, but that particular color scheme will not be available to U.S. consumers. Instead, the American versions will be all black, based on some consumer research by Fujitsu that led the company to conclude that the white look for gadgets is definitely out (come to think of it, none of the latest iPods are white, either, so they may be on to something).

The keyboard is clearly the biggest innovation on the U810, and it is far better than the tic-tac style keys found on devices like the Samsung Q1 Ultra and the FlipStart. While miniaturized, the U810's keys are the same general shape and style as any other laptops, and measure half an inch across. Unfortunately, to squeeze the keyboard into such a tiny space, several compromises had to be made, and many keys are forced to do double or triple duty. Some of the alt-key choices are annoying, others downright bizarre. Our biggest gripes are that the Tab key (double mapped to the space bar) and the arrow keys (double mapped to punctuation keys) require you to hold down a function key to access them. When scrolling through Web pages or working with Web forms, the up and down arrows and Tab key are vitally important, and having them mapped as secondary functions of other keys is a clear mistake. Despite this, we still found the keyboard on the U810 to be the easiest UMPC keyboard we've seen to date, in terms of text input, whether using it as a regular laptop keyboard or holding the unit in your hands and using your thumbs, BlackBerry-style.

Other input options include the touch screen, which works with your finger or the included stylus, or a pointing stick and mouse buttons, which are located at the back of the keyboard tray. The pointing stick's location is a bit out of the way for regular use, but it keeps the pointer and mouse buttons available when the lid is folded down in tablet mode (more on that in a minute). There are also tiny page-up and page-down buttons next to the pointing stick, which still don't make up for the lack of arrow keys on the keyboard.

We still think the Vulcan FlipStart offers the best input options and interface of any UMPC because it provides both a ThinkPad-style pencil eraser nub and a tiny 1.5-inch touch pad. We stand by our opinion that the pointing stick preference (and the ability to use one) is largely a generational issue, with older users who fondly recall IBM ThinkPad pointing sticks having a marked advantage over those of us who came of age in the touch-pad era.

As the U810 is a convertible laptop, the screen swivels around on a sturdy central hinge. The hinge only turns clockwise--we're generally in favor of bidirectional hinges on tablets. The screen itself measures 5.6 inches and has a native resolution of 1,024x600, which provides for a good balance of screen real estate and readability. The thick bezel surrounding the screen mars the look somewhat, adding nearly an inch on either side of the display. The extra space does, however, allow for a fingerprint reader and stylus to be built into the lid.

	Fujitsu U810	Average for category [UPMC]
Video	None	VGA-out
Audio	headphone/microphone jacks	headphone/microphone jacks
Data	1 USB 2.0, SD card reader and CF card reader.	2 USB 2.0, mini-FireWire, SD or multiformat memory card reader
Expansion	None	None
Networking	Ethernet (via dongle), 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth.	modem, Ethernet, 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi, optional Bluetooth, optional WWAN
Optical drive	None	None

With such a small footprint, you're not going to find a lot of ports and connections built into the LifeBook U810. There's only one USB port and no video output, but you do get both SD card and CF card slots (although we don't know who still uses compact flash). Fujitsu says mobile broadband is coming in the near future, via AT&T, but for an ultramobile device such as this, clearly meant to be used on the go, we'd rather see it at launch.

To make up for the lack of connections on the actual unit, Fujitsu offers an $80 docking station that adds four extra USB ports, a VGA out, and an Ethernet jack (there's also a small portable dongle for using an Ethernet cable with the U810 itself).The dock also holds the system at a raised angle for easy viewing (which we put to good use this past weekend referencing online mojito recipes with the U810 sitting in its dock on the kitchen counter).

With Intel's new 800MHz A110 CPU, specifically designed for mobile devices like smart phones and UMPCs, the LifeBook U810 takes a step away from previous UMPCs, which used typical laptop CPUs. The difference can most clearly be seem when the U810 struggles a bit with Windows Vista, particularly during the long start-up time, which took nearly 2 minutes. We were able to surf the Web and work on office documents without any slowdown, but in CNET Labs' benchmark tests, it fell behind the Vulcan FlipStart and Sony VAIO UX390, which both had low-power laptop processors, only besting the OQO model 02 with its sluggish VIA CPU.

The LifeBook U810 ran for 3 hours and 15 minutes on our DVD battery drain test, using an external USB-powered DVD drive and the included four-cell battery. That's impressive for such a tiny system, and on par with the Sony VAIO and FlipStart, but the U810 requires an unsightly battery that sticks out from the back of the system. Bear in mind our DVD battery drain test is especially grueling, so you can expect longer life from casual Web surfing and office use.

Fujitsu includes an industry-standard one-year parts-and-labor warranty with the system. Support is accessible through a 24/7 toll-free phone line, and a Web site with online chat, a knowledge base, and driver downloads. Three years of coverage costs and extra $179, while adding on-site service runs $50 per year.

Multimedia multitasking test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Vulcan FlipStart E-1001S

5,417

Sony Vaio UX390

7,380

Fujitsu Lifebook U810

8,032

OQO Model 02

10,639

Apple iTunes encoding test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Sony Vaio UX390

486

Vulcan FlipStart E-1001S

496

Fujitsu Lifebook U810

775

OQO Model 02

1,197

Microsoft Office productivity test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Vulcan FlipStart E-1001S

1,765

Sony Vaio UX390

2,026

OQO Model 02

2,192

Fujitsu Lifebook U810

2,297

DVD battery drain test (in minutes)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Sony Vaio UX390

212

Vulcan FlipStart E-1001S

211

Fujitsu Lifebook U810

195

OQO Model 02

Find out more about how we test laptops.

Fujitsu LifeBook U810 Windows Vista Home Premium; 800MHz Intel A110; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; 64MB Mobile Intel 945GM/GU Express; 40GB Toshiba 4,200rpm

Vulcan FlipStart 1.0 Windows XP Professional; 1.1GHz Intel Pentium M Ultra Low Voltage; 512MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; 64MB Mobile Intel 915GM/GMS/910GML Express; 30GB Toshiba 4,200rpm

OQO model 02 Windows Vista Ultimate Edition; 1.5GHz VIA C7M Ultra Low Voltage; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 533MHz; 64MB VIA/SG3 UniChrome Pro II IGP; 60GB Hitachi 4,200rpm

Sony VAIO UX390 Windows Vista Business Edition; 1.33GHz Intel Core Solo U1500; 1024MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; 224MB Mobile Intel 945GM Express; 32GB NAND Flash Memory

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 15 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 15

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8 stars

Ok, but could some improvements would help

by dougwf on October 6, 2007

Pros: Fingerprint security, good battery life, lightweight

Cons: Fujitsu zoom utility is useless. Scroll keys too small. Tablet mode weakens wireless reception

Summary: I bought this device to serve two primary purposes, to store and read e-books, pdfs, and other electronic documents. Also, to have full internet access for browsing and downloading content. ...

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Summary: I bought this device to serve two primary purposes, to store and read e-books, pdfs, and other electronic documents. Also, to have full internet access for browsing and downloading content.

1. It works well as an ebook device. I find the screen size adequate and quite readable. When reading ebooks or other documents, I am finding that battery life is acceptable (seems to be as advertised in the 4 to 5 hr range --- IF wireless adapter is turned off while reading).

2. Functions well to browse the internet because it is a full computer running Windows Vista. I downloaded Firefox and the performance is surprisingly fast, given the resources already in use by Vista.

I chose Vista over XP because of the reported improvements to Tablet features in Vista vs XP Tablet PC. Since I am a new 'tablet' user I cannot verify any difference, it is only what I have read.

A VERY nice unexpected feature for me is the 'Sleep' mode of Vista that is supposedly a combination of Standby and Hibernate in previous Windows versions. This removes the boot process almost entirely, and combined with the fingerprint login, I can simply open the device, swipe my finger, and be back on, usually within 10 to 20 seconds. To me, this is a big advantage over normal login process because of small keyboard that requires looking at the keyboard even as a touch typist.

Unfortunately, I am finding that wireless receptions diminishes when I fold the u810 into tablet mode and hide the keyboard. I have not read of any other complaints of this problem, so maybe it is unique to mine. However, it happens EVERY time...and if I am more than ~50ft from the signal source, I will generally lose my connections. I would be curious to know if others experience the same problem.

The u810 has 2 FN scroll buttons on the upper right. While it was a great idea, I find the 'raised' FN key to get in the way when scrolling down (with the left scroll key). Hitting the left scroll key by itself scrolls one line at a time, hitting the FN key first and then the scroll key creates a page down sequence. Unfortunately, they are so close (and since they are thumb operated) that sometimes my thumb will simultaneously hit the FN key and cause a 'page' down scroll instead of a line by line scroll...forcing me to scroll back up. A thumbwheel scroll on the side of the device would have been VERY nice in comparison. Also, for internet browsing, a hard 'back' and 'forward' key would have made it even better.

I have also found that the machine does heat up after about 20 minutes which can also be annoying.

All in all I am happy with the device, but disappointed with the wireless reception in tablet mode. I enjoy sitting and being able to read (e-books or Internet) while relaxing and watching television at the same time or to lay in bed and read. I always found a full laptop to be too big and cumbersome to do the same. This device works very well for both.

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7 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

Very cool little machine with limitations

by Mr Bigsby on November 28, 2007

Pros: Typical Fujitsu quality, flexibility, having access to all PC applications in small form factor

Cons: CF card reader problems

Summary: A very cool device. I?ve had it for about two months now. Primarily bought it for short business trips and hauling around the office to meetings. Having struggled with ...

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Summary: A very cool device. I?ve had it for about two months now. Primarily bought it for short business trips and hauling around the office to meetings. Having struggled with Vista on my daughter?s new laptop, I ordered it with XP. My primary laptop is a 13? Vaio SZ with a Core 2 processor, 2 mg RAM, and a 160 GB 7200 HD, so I have a good sense of mobile performance. The Fujitsu is fine for typical office applications, watching movies, but you?re not going to do any high performance graphics oriented computing on it. XP load times are slow as you would expect from a 4200 rpm HD. I typically leave the Fujitsu on ?standby? when not in use; a quick flip of the lid and it?s up and running in seconds. I can go all day with sporadic use this way; less if the wireless is on, but still good battery life. In fact, I purchased a second battery to take along for cross-country flights, and have yet to use it.

I love it on airplanes (I sit in the cheap seats, so any boneheads who recline their chairs had effectively prevented me from working on my other laptop). You can work with it in a standard laptop configuration (on the table with keyboard and screen), held in your hands, or as a tablet. I find I use all three at different times and different situations, sometimes switching in the middle of a task. I thought I would settle on one preferred style, but having the flexibility is nice.

Another surprise is how often I use the tablet. I?ve never used windows tablet before and my handwriting is terrible, but I?ve found the recognition software to be very robust. (Mind you, I still need to do some post note taking edits). I now use it for note taking in meetings which was an unexpected application for me.

Like dougwf I find the wireless signal deteriorates over intermediate distances that my VAIO handles with aplomb.

I have never been able to consistently use fingerprint readers ? I end up swiping my thumb and every other finger multiple times before getting anything readable. The Fujitsu was no exception so I unloaded the software.

The screen is crisp and gorgeous but I am a middle aged guy with reading glasses and trust me, you will need your reading glasses as well. However, this is the price you pay for the form factor. If you haven?t worked with small form machines before, realize that any task will take longer only because keyboard maneuvers are more intricate, and a stylus cannot match the performance of a mouse.

One of the major problems is the CF card reader. Having a built in CF reader was a major selling point for me. My thinking was that a few 16 mb cards in my pocket would readily compensate for the small 40 GB hard drive. But the U810 cannot handle high capacity, high speed cards. Apparently the highest read and write speed are around 2MB/s so it?s really a useless appendage. Even at that speed, I can only access a fraction of the files I have on the card. Very disappointed.

This has been a major issue raised on other forums and from what I gather, Fujitsu is struggling to develop a fix.

see http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=1743&viewmode=flat&order=ASC&start=0

Hard drive runs hot ? in the 40-50+ degree C range, depending on amount of HD access.

Build quality is very good. I?ve owned Fujitsu before and they are consistently well built machines. Contrary to one of the other reports about poor service, I?ve found their call centers to be responsive.

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3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Finally, a useable UMPC

by pb125 on October 2, 2007

Pros: Good screen, great keyboard, multiple input devices

Cons: None yet - time will tell

Summary: The U810 just showed up today, and my worries about the screen being "too small" are gone... its very sharp and functional for its purpose. I got XP, not Vista, ...

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Summary: The U810 just showed up today, and my worries about the screen being "too small" are gone... its very sharp and functional for its purpose. I got XP, not Vista, and although its to early to tell at least boot times are snappy. It is true the extended battery looks odd, but functionally it actually forms a handy ledge to hook your fingers on when holding the device and manipulating the pointing stick. As to the stick, very well placed and very easy to use (and I am not the biggest fan of those devices). I have used Fujitsu slates for several years, and found them bullet-proof and very stable. Hoping this will turn out to be a similar experience.

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3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Forcing me to use vista should be illegal

by Under_clocker on June 15, 2008

Pros: Great hardware, good battery life.

Cons: Worst operating system ever!

Summary: When If first decided to fork over the $1000 to get this unit I had to go through 3 boxes before Micro-center gave me one that had not been a ...

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Summary: When If first decided to fork over the $1000 to get this unit I had to go through 3 boxes before Micro-center gave me one that had not been a repackaged unit?..
Always Always Always check your screen for dead pixels! If I had not done that on the way out of the store I would have discovered that they had repackaged the laptop when I got all the way home.... Microcenter had their logons on both units we went through?It took me 45 minutes to get out of the store with a new unit.

The other thing is this. I had to really grind away on the unit to get it where it was fairly serviceable. Windows vista is a flaming piece of garbage that seems to be windows ME reincarnated.

I have had one hell of a time trying to find windows xp tablet edition ?and I plan to remove vista as it is the worst os I have ever seen.

What is good is I was able to boot from a cd rom using my own external usb cdrom. That I put together from an external cd rom case I got from fry's ?I did how ever change the boot priority in bios to the cd rom device as the first boot device.... To get to the bios just press fn and f2 a couple times during reboot. And you can figure it out from there?.
I plan to order tablet edition xp from new egg and I suggest that those of you who hate vista do the same?.

With vista on this machine I can not control my telescope or run any of the software that I legally purchased. I can not plug in my telescope?s usb camera or even run my lcars desktop beta without a crash. I cant even plug in my stamp 2 programmer! It wont talk to it.

In short: Microsoft is trying to push vista on everyone. Its is almost impossible to find xp tablet in the stores I have checked the entire dfw area. Nobody has it that I could find. That is stupid. Because more and more people will switch over to MAC or Linux if they keep forcing the issue. I know I will, and I work in IT? NOBODY likes vista except for aolers and dorks.

Here is a tip Fujitsu people. Dump vista, this type of unit appeals to I.t. people and geeks and we don?t like vista the term we use a lot is. UPGRADE TO XP.!

Veronicca

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great mini laptop, loaded value

by darowh on January 16, 2008

Pros: Features, usability, size

Cons: Performance

Summary: I got my Fujitsu U810 from MicroCenter in Fairfax Virginia, they only had the Vista version so couldn't get XP as originally planned. Nonetheless, I've found this little ...

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Summary: I got my Fujitsu U810 from MicroCenter in Fairfax Virginia, they only had the Vista version so couldn't get XP as originally planned. Nonetheless, I've found this little device to be quite useful largely due to its high portability factor. I have a full size Dell Latitude D620 for office and home use, but have grown used to carrying the U810 instead for casual trips to the bookstore, library, or a weekend getaway.

The U810 handles basic web browsing, email, MS Office, digital music and media like a champ. Just limit the number of apps open at once, along with some Vista tweaking, and you'll be fine. Had some problems with the power button awakening the U810 from Sleep, but resolved with a quick call to Fujitsu support. Another reason I chose the U810 was to have a portable device for digital audio recording in the field (as a musician), and it works well with the M-Audio MobilePre USB interface.

Suggestion: Get the leather protection case from Fujitsu, $59 and definitely worth it.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 stars

Have tiny fingers and good eyes?

by on October 14, 2008

Pros: Embedded 3g slot
Weight
Size

Cons: Keyboard
mouse
minute screen resolution
sluggish feel under Win Vista
dissapointing battery life
Battery not swapable without full shut down
restart take time

Summary: There is nothing better then being on the bus listening to Sirius web radio, reading the new york times, and ignoring the mongrel sitting next to you. You can do ...

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Summary: There is nothing better then being on the bus listening to Sirius web radio, reading the new york times, and ignoring the mongrel sitting next to you. You can do that with this computer and att wireless. If your company has a vpn and your late to work, fear not you can check your email and make the necessary calls to save your bacon.

The keyboard is too limited, the tab key isn't there and you'll find yourself fat fingering "q" all the time as that is where the tab key would be. Arrow key are accessable via function key, and the home and end keys are missing, further hampering your computing experience. In fact the key size is too big to be a thumb keyboard but too small to touch type.

The touch screen doesn't interface the way I'd like to interface. You press an icon on the fujitsu's screen and a mouse image pops up and then you need to double click the cartoon mouse buttons to open a program three steps. Handwriting recognition is very good, but it feels like a parlor trick, as this is not a practical way to enter data.

The mouse is a thumb pointer on the right shoulder of the machine and the mouse buttons are on the left shoulder. All mouse functions require two hands. The pointer is tappable, but I find it inadervtantly gets tapped, so I've disabled it.

Interefacing with this machine is incredibly frustrating, and for that reason I would avoid it.

If I had a time machine and could go back, I would get something Toshiba Portege r100 sized. This is just too small.

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7 stars

REALLY PORTABLE POWERFUL UMPC

by Amikosan on October 14, 2008

Pros: FAR better than other UMPC on the market and blows away the asus EEE pc 701s

Cons: absolutely none. this is a UMPC not a laptop replacement (BUT, this is currently the only laptop i own and i use it everyday)

Summary: I researched this and new exactly what i was getting so i was not disappointed. this is a terrific machine and would highly reccommend it to business travelers or those ...

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Summary: I researched this and new exactly what i was getting so i was not disappointed. this is a terrific machine and would highly reccommend it to business travelers or those needing a secondary more portable machine. i got the version of the u810 without the built in cellular broadband... keeping the price anywhere from $250-500 cheaper than the newer released ones. after receiving my new u810 i was -using my machine within 2 hours of thoroughly reading the users guide. the learning curve for the keyboard is about 1 week and maybe 1 day to figure out EVERYTHING this device can do. this is currently the only laptop i own. yes the screen and keys are small, but i did not get this for ease of typing or to do graphic design. i have no problems with Vista, but yes it will run slower than a full size desktop or notebook (OF COURSE).

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Fujitsu LifeBook U810

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