Fujitsu M2010 Mini-Notebook

Processor: 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
Memory: 1GB DDR2
Storage: 160GB hard drive
Optical Drive: None
Screen: 10.1 inches
Graphics: Integrated Intel 945 GSE
Weight: 2.5 pounds
Dimensions (HWD): 1.3x10.2x7.4 inches
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition


With its M2010 Mini-Notebook, Fujitsu enters the U.S. netbook fray with a 10-inch model that looks great and delivers the expected features (and then some) for a netbook-appropriate price of $449. Unfortunately, though, the M2010 doesn’t match similar netbook models in battery life.

The ruby red finish on the Fujitsu M2010 Mini-Notebook looks stunning.

If you would have guessed that Fujitsu’s normally staid approach to notebook design would carry over to its debut netbook, think again. Most of the company’s machines wind up in buttoned-down corporate environments, but this model diverges radically. The attention-getting ruby-red chassis with a stylized infinity logo looks stunning. In fact, it’s arguably the best-looking finish we’ve seen on a netbook to date. The glossy red continues onto the area surrounding the keyboard, a touch that costs extra to manufacture but that gives the design a cohesive feel.
The 2.5-pound M2010 feels solid and well-built (a Fujitsu hallmark), and it features a keyboard that’s 10 percent smaller than a full-size laptop keyboard. That’s typical for the class, although not quite as roomy as the 92-percent-of-full-size typing surface on HP’s 10-inch netbooks (the Mini 110 and Mini 1000 series). On the other hand, the crucial ancillary keys—Enter, Shift, Tab, and so on—are in their proper places, and the keys have a comfortable feel when you’re typing. The machine’s small touch pad is very responsive and comfortable to use, though the mouse buttons make a too-loud “click” when pressed.
The 10.1-inch screen on the M2010 is one of the best we’ve seen on a netbook. The LED backlight makes the screen image pop, and the 1,024x576 resolution (typical for the class) makes for sharp, albeit small, text. The built-in speakers deliver surprisingly good audio quality for a machine this size. You won’t mistake it for a mini-stereo shelf system, but the M2010 delivers plenty of volume and even some bass presence for music. The output is more than adequate for Web audio and the like. The 1.3-megapixel Webcam delivers merely acceptable image quality: Colors were accurate, but even at the highest quality setting the image looked a bit soft. The preloaded ArcSoft WebCam Companion utility is easy to use, and it features some welcome touches such as a burst-capture mode and monitoring capabilities with motion detection.

The M2010 delivers a decent selection of ports for a netbook, including VGA, LAN, USB, and a card reader.

Other features are typical for a newer-generation netbook in this price range: Windows XP Home Edition as the operating system, a 160GB hard drive, Wi-Fi, a five-format flash-card slot, a VGA port, three USB ports, and a LAN jack. One plus: Fujitsu has included Bluetooth wireless, which is not a de facto standard on netbooks. And the company says the M2010 has been put through durability tests, such as pressure testing on the lid, to ensure that the design can withstand life in a backpack and other tribulations.
When it comes to performance components, Fujitsu has stuck to the tried-and-true netbook playbook: a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 CPU, 1GB of RAM (user-expandable to 2GB), the Mobile Intel 945 Express chipset with integrated 945 GSE graphics. So we were a bit surprised to see performance come in at the low end of the range compared with similarly outfitted netbooks we tested recently. The M2010 scored 84 on our Cinebench 9.5 test and 503 on Cinebench 10, which are the lowest scores we’ve seen and well below the averages of all netbooks we’ve tested (134 and 834). The M2010 fared better on our Windows Media Encoder 9 trial, needing 26 minutes and 6 seconds to complete the test, which is about 6 percent faster than the average time for all netbooks tested to date. On our iTunes encoding test, the M2010 took 24 minutes and 11 seconds, or about 3 minutes longer than the average.

The M2010 features a well-laid-out keyboard that is 90 percent the size of a full-size laptop keyboard.

Still, take these numbers with a grain of salt: You don’t want to be re-encoding media files or rendering 3D images with any netbook. In typical use—Web surfing, e-mail, and the like—the M2010 performed like any other netbook. What is much more distressing, though, is the unit’s battery performance: The included three-cell power pack lasted just 1 hour and 36 minutes on our video-rundown test, whereas comparable netbooks typically lasted for more than two hours with a similar-size battery. Fujitsu notes that an optional six-cell battery is available and that the two batteries’ combined runtime should be closer to 7.5 hours in typical use.
Fujitsu backs the M2010 with a one-year warranty, with reasonably priced extensions available, starting at $49. All told, the M2010 Mini-Notebook has a lot going for it. The battery life and benchmark performance trail the current netbook pack, but the design, fit and finish, and screen make this a strong entry nonetheless.
Price (at time of review): $449 (mfr. est., as tested)