The Fujitsu M2010 represents the company’s late first entry into the growing netbook market. Marketed towards students, the device joins a long line of similar machines, which barely foster any differences beyond aesthetics as a result of Microsoft’s stringent limitations on the category.
Sporting a bold and attractive design, the M2010 differentiates itself immediately, being more recognizable than the lot of generic-looking exteriors that most netbooks come with. Claiming better durability than your average 10-incher, it’s thicker than standard netbooks, which suggests various touches may indeed have been added to beef up its ability to withstand rough use.
Inside, it turns up details that are more familiar -10.1-inch high-gloss screen, a bezel-flanked set of keys and a touchpad. While the 1,024 x 575-resolution screen is good enough (bright and crisp), the keyboard is too cramped, hinting at an older design that newer netbooks have long since transcended.
Running on an 1.6 GHz Intel Atom N280 processor and 1GB of RAM, the machine performs just as you’d expect, handling most basic office applications and choking a bit on more intensive processing. Connectivity options and available ports are similarly typical – Bluetooth, USB, Wi-Fi, gigabit ethernet, multi-card reader, audio I/O and VGA out. A bit more notable are the devices onboard dual speakers and mic, which seemed to offer better quality than what most other netbooks come bundled with. Any favors it manages to gain from that, however, are swiftly erased by the weak battery Fujitsu outfitted the device with, lasting just a little over two hours before dying out.
Priced at $449, the Fujitsu M2010 is slightly more expensive than your average netbook, touting its more durable construction as a reason for the premium. However, with a badly-designed keyboard and unforgivable battery life, there’s really no case anyone can make for it. It’s a first-generation netbook competing on a maturing field and it’s lagging way behind.
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