At first glance the average-looking design of the Fujitsu LifeBook S6510 is nothing special … but take a closer look at the radical design measuring as thin as 0.96-inches and weighing as little as 3.7 pounds, and you realize this is something truly special.

12.jpgApart from the usual less-than-stellar speakers, performance wasn’t too bad. Although it was never going to win accolades on 3DMark06, scoring an abysmal 427 thanks to its Intel GMA X3100 graphics, PCMark05 was just fine at 4181, and considering its business focus 3DMark06 is pretty much moot anyway — this laptop was never intended for games. Turning off all power saving features, setting screen brightness to maximum and playing back a DVD, the battery lasted a decent one hours and 43 minutes.

In Fact the system offers three USB ports and a FireWire port. An S-Video jack can be found on the front bezel, next to the microphone and headphone jacks. You have your usual set of legacy ports that include VGA, Ethernet, and modem ports. The most important part of the equation is the built-in dual-layer DVD burner, yet so you can watch all the latest DVD flicks and install software and offload storage data whenever you have to. An integrated 1.3-megapixel Web cam will help you stay in touch with loved ones on the road, as well as videoconference with work colleagues. Its 120GB hard drive is average for a business laptop. Fujitsu put in adequate security measures by including a fingerprint reader, SmartCard reader, and TPM (Trusted Platform Module). The only thing it doesn’t have is cellular broadband, which is important if you’re on the road most of the time and require a ubiquitous wireless connection. Otherwise, you can use the built-in WiFi.

The lightest widescreen 14-inch notebook on the market, Fujitsu’s LifeBook S6510 is stuffed to the brim with security and durability features. It’s a compelling choice for the mobile professional who wants a business-rugged machine that will help safeguard sensitive data without bogging down the shoulder bag. Priced at $2,039, this configuration is pretty pricey, but it offers a lot of power and good endurance for your money.

The good:
* Light
* Decent mix of business sensitive and current components
* Good battery life

The bad:
* No digital video output
* A bit pricey

The bottomline:
The Fujitsu S6510 is a light business laptop with HSDPA built in — meaning it’s perfect for those who are always on the move.the build is a combination of magnesium-alloy and plastics that provide amazing rigidity that you don’t expect from notebooks that are less than an inch thick. The S6510 does use a latch with a simple push button type release, but the firm hinge mechanism keeps the LCD in place. Still, Fujitsu was wise enough to know that business travelers like to have a firm latch holding the notebook closed.

Cnet Rating - 7.5/10

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