Guru Tim

U820 compared to the Acer Aspire One

2008-11-23T21:57:00.002-05:00

My wife just got the new Acer Aspire One. Check back in a few days and I will have some pics and info about it along with a comparison with the U820.

GPS in Fujitsu U820 - Road Trip

2008-11-23T21:38:00.002-05:00

I went on a little road trip the other day. This is the first real outing other than around town using the GPS in the Fujitsu U820. Before I headed out I printed off directions using Google Maps. While driving I made note of road signs, mile markers, etc. every time they GPS gave me a voice alert. First off I will say the directions that Google gave me vs. the GPS were dead on. They were EXACT! Very interesting I thought. As I drove and I was given voice alerts and looking at the screen to show were I was was pretty accurate. There were a few cases where it showed me coming up to a road after I passed it. A little delay there. The one thing I noticed most was it's accuracy when it said to "stay left in 1 mile". There was a road sign that said the road was splitting in 1 mile. And when it said to Exit in 2 miles the mile marker showed 2 miles. The GPS all in all is pretty accurate it seems and the voice alerts are timed well for the most part. The Garmin Mobile PC software seems to work great, has a nice user interface and is easy to navigate. Especially when you have to while driving. I do not suggest trying to play with it while driving for safety reasons and the software warns you of that every time you fire it up. I give the GPS two thumbs up! I think the GPS is the biggest improvement over the U810 and will probably be one of it's biggest selling features.

Fujitsu U820 Pictures

2008-11-16T13:31:00.007-05:00

Top view with the screen shut in tablet mode.

Side view compared with the Sony Vaio.

Front view of the U820 compared to a Sony Vaio VGN-TZ with an 11" screen.

Front shot compared with the HP with 17" screen.

The U820 shown next to a Samsung Blackjack. I use the Internet Sharing with Bluetooth on the phone to connect the U820 to the internet.

VGA/LAN Dongle

Top view compared with the Sony Vaio VGN-TZ

Top shot showing the new shiny cover.

Shot of the screen turned around and shut flat.

Picture of the external GPS antenna and has a magnetic base to attach to the roof of your car.
(note - External antenna not required for GPS to work, just if you have poor reception.)

U820 size compared to an HP laptop with 17" screen.

Right side view with Power Jack, CF slot, Power switch and wireless on/off switch.

Side view of left with Mic and headphone jacks, USB port, SD slot, lock hole, and volume knob.

Front views

Keyboard

Box contents: Getting Started Guide, GPS and other documentation, External VGA/LAN dongle, Restore CD's, OneNote 2007 and Garmin CD's, Ext. GPS antenna, Spare mouse tip. Also the power adapter (not shown).

Fujitsu U820 Unboxed in the USA

2008-11-16T12:50:00.004-05:00

Well I received the U820 mid last week and thus far I can say it is definitely a must have if you are into UMPC's. It is definitely an improvement over the U810. Most notably is it's performance. The new Intel Atom processor running at 1.6 Ghz powers the unit quite well and runs pretty cool. Even with only 1GB of DDR2 memory the performance and response time is not bad at all for something this small. An extra gig would have been the icing on the cake. The boot time is better over the U810. The new keyboard layout is much better also having an extra row of keys. The big new addition is built-in GPS which seems to work great using the Garmin MobilePC software. Pay close attention to the instruction sheet included in the box when using the GPS for the first time. Included in the box is the Garmin CD and you will need the registration number from it. There is also an external GPS antenna that I thought was neat but the reception seems to be pretty good and I don't need to use it. Your experience may be different. It plugs into the Mic jack on the side of all places but hey...whatever works! The screen is much better too- more sharper and clearer with the higher resolution an the touchscreen is more responsive with needing less force. If you have checked out any of the review of the Asian model (U2010) you may have noticed that it has an FM transmitter for streaming music to an FM radio. The U820 in the USA does not have that feature. Although it is mentioned in the User Guide. I think they just overlooked omitting it from the documentation but just FYI... The U820 has all the same external ports, and the SD & CF slots as the U810 only things are moved around just a bit and actually I think the placement is better. As far as the battery life goes it seems to be really good. I had it going for hours and only had used up about 40%. That was with the 4-cell battery that ships with it. I also have the 2-cell which seems to last pretty long too. I probably got about 4 hours out of it. The batteries for the U810 and the U820 are the same and interchangeable. The 2-cell one is actually from the U810 and works fine with the U820. If you are thinking of getting the Dock for it make sure you get the one for U820 as the docks are not the same. The U820 will not work on the U810 dock. Over all the U820 is a great little small laptop and if you are thinking of getting one or upgrading from the U810 you will not be disappointed. Take a look at the pictures I have posted that show what you get in the box and size comparisons. They really show just how small it is. I know there are other small laptops on the market at very attractive prices but as small as this one is with as many features it has it's in a league all it's own. It's not a "NetBook", it's truly a mini-laptop.

The U820 has arrived!

2008-11-13T19:13:00.002-05:00

I received the U820 yesterday and am in the process of checking it out. I should have some pics and reviews up in the next day or so. Check back!

Fujitsu U820 Purchase

2008-11-08T17:37:00.000-05:00

I will mention that I purchased the U820 from www.laptopauthority.com. They are the only other place to get it right now other that direct from Fujitsu. They had a little better price on it. It won't be long until it shows up at other online stores. Click here to go to the U820 on Fujitsu's website.

Fujitsu U820 released in the USA

2008-11-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

The Fujitsu u820 has finally been released in the USA. It will start shipping on 11/10/08 and I should have mine by the end of the week. It has been long awaited and I will soon have it in my grubby little hands. Shortly after receiving it I will have reviews, pictures, and probably a little video posted so check back soon!

The U820 for those who don't know is the smallest full-featured (minus a DVD drive) laptop on the face of the planet. Earlier in 2007 the U810 was released. New improvements feature a 1.6 Ghz CPU, GPS, new keyboard layout, better battery life, and higher screen resolution. Sometime in Q1 of 2009 they are supposed to release a model supporting Broadband WAN.