Fujitsu LifeBook S6510Ultra-portable notebook manufacturers usually make several sacrifices in order to reduce weight and improve battery life. These can include using smaller screens, ditching the optical drive, and basically neutering the notebook to achieve the holy grail of ultimate portability.

LifeBook S6510 however. It lets you have all the features of a standard-sized notebook, while offering the weight and battery life of an ultra-portable. Okay maybe it’s a tad heavier than a true ultra-portable at 4lbs. but it’s still extremely portable, without any missing features.

Fujitsu LifeBook S6510’s ($2,039 direct) 14-inch widescreen fool you into thinking this is a hefty business laptop. At 4 pounds, it’s definitely an ultra portable. You can reap all the benefits of a true road-warrior laptop without compromising screen real estate. Even better, no performance sacrifices were made to lower the weight. This configuration loads a standard-voltage 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 and 2GB of RAM. 

The Fujitsu LifeBook S6510 offers a comfortable computing experience. The full-size keyboard feels a little mushy, but the mouse buttons and touchpad are plenty responsive. Four additional application keys above the keyboard can be customized to quick-launch any program. The speakers were a little weak, but that’s common in business-focused machines. Fujitsu did a good job with air circulation, too; temperature readings measured only 85° F across the base and palm rests. 

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 Fujitsu LifeBook 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. 

The compact size and high-voltage processor, the S6510 produces a significant amount of heat. The average heat exhaust temperature for a notebook running idle is between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit in at room temperature. The temperature of the exhaust coming from the S6510 was 115 degrees at idle … and approximately 130 degrees during benchmarking. In short, the heat exhaust coming from the left side of the S6510 can become dangerously hot. This isn’t a problem if you stay clear of the exhaust, but if the left side of the notebook is resting against your leg it will become uncomfortably hot. 

The Fujitsu LifeBook S6510 battery life was decent. The main battery endured for 3.7 hours in our tests, about 10 minutes longer than the average of 3.6 hours attained by 14 currently tested all-purpose notebooks. We didn’t test the two-battery configuration, but for that setup Fujitsu estimates a total of 6.2 hours of operation. 

Configuration:-

    * Genuine Windows Vista Business (32-bit version)

    * Intel Core 2 Duo T7500 2.20GHz, 4MB L2, 800MHz FSB with 64-bit

    * 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 667MHz SDRAM (4GB max)

    * 120GB (5400 RPM); Serial-ATA hard disk drive (shock-mounted)

    * 8xDVD-SuperMulti (+/-R Single Layer) drive supporting 9 formats

    * 14.1-inch diagonal Crystal View widescreen display (1280×800 WXGA) with LED backlight

    * Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with up to 384MB

    * Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)

    * Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR

    * 1.3MP webcam

    * Three USB 2.0 ports                                       Fujitsu LifeBook S65101

    * IEEE 1394 / FireWire port

    * VGA Monitor out port

    * Headphone / line-out port

    * Microphone in port

    * PCMCIA PC card slot

    * 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN port

    * 3-in-1 card slot reader

    * Standard Main Battery: 6-cell Lithium-ion (10.8V, 5800 mAh, 63 WHr)

    * Optional Modular Bay Battery: 6-cell Lithium-ion (10.8V, 2300 mAh, 25 WHr)

    * Dimensions: 12.36″ x 9.25″ x 0.96/1.42″

    * Weight: approx. 4.0 lbs. with standard battery and optical drive, 3.7 lbs. without  optical drive 

Fujitsu LifeBook S6510 Reviews:- 

# Pcworld Review: - With its reasonable weight and a screen just small enough to clear a reclining seat back, the Fujitsu LifeBook S6510’s physical attributes will please all but the most persnickety ultra portable fan. If getting maximum performance bang for your buck is just as important to your business, however, keep looking. 

# Asia.cnet Review: - I have been using this machine for 2 days and I am loving it. The only thing I did to the machine was spending an extra $50 and gets the ram increased to 2GB. The keyboard is a dream to use, and the machine displays the typical high quality finish that you come to expect from Fujitsu. At only 1.6kg, it is lightweight and provides a wonderful 14.1 inch screen. 

# Notebookreview Review: - Overall our final impressions of the Fujitsu LifeBook S6510 are overwhelmingly positive. We would have liked to see at least one more USB port and the display didn’t live up to the high standards we’ve come to expect on Fujitsu laptops, but business professionals will be hard pressed to find a better 14-inch notebook for travel. 

Bottom line, the S6510 is the thinnest and lightest 14-inch notebook we’ve seen. Performance is on par with (or superior to) the competition and the build quality is among the best you can find in the $1,500 to $2,000 price range.

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