Fujitsu is one of the veterans when it comes to convertible tablets, as they are advocates of this type of gadget for quite some time now. The only problem I see is that their tablet PCs are exactly what killed this format a few years ago: medium computing power devices with a very high price tag (think 2000 $). Things are about to change, as Fujitsu briefly introduced on their website the Fujitsu Lifebook TH700 convertible tablet PC.

    The first thing you’ll notice is the 1099$ price tag (after mail in rebate) and the friendly configuration, which will take on everyday computing tasks with ease. So let’s see what the Lifebook TH700 has to offer for a little over 1000 bucks:

    • Intel® Core™ i3-350M Processor (2.26 GHz, 3 MB L3 cache)
    • Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
    • 12.1″ WXGA LED backlight display
    • Dual digitizer (pen input and capacitive multi-touch screen)
    • 4 GB DDR3 1066 MHz SDRAM
    • 320 GB S-ATA 150, 5400 rpm hard drive with shock sensor
    • (modular) Dual-Layer Super-Multi DVD Writer
    • Lithium ion battery, 6-cell 5200 mAh

    Let’s face it, the Fujitsu Lifebook TH700 offers pretty much everything you need, plus offers a DVD writer, a rarity in 12 inch tablet PCs. I’m curious why Fujitsu opted for a SATA 150 hard drive and didn’t slapped in a speedy SATA 2 7200 RPM drive, as the cost difference would have been marginal, but then again, most major manufacturers are doing the same mistake over and over again.

    As with other tablet PCs from Fujitsu, the Lifebook TH700 comes with a screen hinge that can be rotated both ways, so you can’t break it by mistake (actually you could, if you tried hard enough, I’m sure). The keyboard is spill resistant, something you might want to consider if you’re planning on taking it to various places. On the specs page there’s no word about an accelerometer, which means you have to change the screen orientation by yourself, which I hate because it takes many clicks and time. Maybe Fujitsu will look into this, but then again maybe not.

    Update: You can get the Fujitsu Lifebook TH700 from Amazon starting at $1050.