Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000 series review

Fujitsu's new Stylistic ST5000 Tablet PC features nearly the same smart design as the older ST4000 model with a few impressive improvements, such as a 12.1-inch display, a fast 1GHz Pentium M processor, and a sleek silver bezel. The new specs help the Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000 emerge as one of the best slate-style tablet PCs.

The Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000 is a tad bigger than the ST4000, but it's still one of the thinnest and lightest slate tablets. The new model measures 12.8 by 8.7 by 0.9 inches and tips the scales at an easy-to-carry 3.4 pounds. The Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000's bigger display makes for a smaller bezel around the screen. As a result, Fujitsu made the six application buttons on the bezel slightly smaller, which might annoy those with big fingers. There's still no four-way cursor navigation pad, either, as you find on other tablets. Instead, the Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000 offers the same funky right-left controls beneath the application buttons. These quirks aside, this tablet retains many features we love, including a smooth pen-input experience when writing on the screen and comfortable ultrasuede patches on its underside for more secure handling.

A healthy mix of ports and slots line the Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000's edges. Highlights include two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, Gigabit Ethernet, and dedicated slots for both smart cards, which store passwords and other sensitive info, and tiny Secure Digital/Memory Stick storage cards. A handy on/off switch for the integrated 802.11b/g wireless lies somewhat surreptitiously on the system's underside. The whole thing snaps into an easy-to-use docking station with a swappable DVD/CD-RW drive that, in concert with the wireless keyboard, turns the Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000 into a pseudodesktop system, although the screen will seem small compared to a big LCD. Unfortunately, the optional docking station and the keyboard will set you back $417 and $91, respectively.

The Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000 tore up CNET Labs' benchmark tests, using its ultra-low-voltage 1GHz Pentium M processor and 512MB of 333MHz SDRAM to clock the fastest score we've seen among 1GHz Pentium M portables. This is an especially impressive feat given its mundane Intel 855GME graphics chip, which swipes up to 64MB of video RAM from main memory. The tablet's 10.8V, 4,400mAh battery proved no slouch either, lasting nearly four hours in CNET Labs' tests.

Built primarily for business, the Fujitsu Stylistic ST5000 ships with little software, save for Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 and a few utilities. The warranty provides one year of free parts and labor with return-to-depot service. You can upgrade the warranty, at various prices, adding two more years that include onsite service and accidental screen-damage protection. Whatever term you choose includes toll-free, 24/7 phone support.