Fujitsu's LifeBook P8020 12.1-inch ultraportable wars against the dreaded screen bezel

From what we can tell, Fujitsu's spent the industrial design budget for the LifeBook P8020 on one thing and one thing only: trimming those sides. We really do love to see a laptop with a keyboard and screen flush with the edges, seemingly wasting zero space. The resulting product is a tad chubby (1.1- to 1.5-inches) and lacks a certain charm, but there's all sorts of goodies under the hood, and the 2.9 pound weight is certainly passable. The 12.1-inch ultraportable packs a Centrino 2 processor, 320GB HDD (or a 64GB or 128GB SSD), 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, gigabit Ethernet, a fingerprint reader, DVD burner, gesture-friendly trackpad and a 1.3 megapixel webcam. There's also a 6-cell battery and no 3G to drain it, so you should be able to expect some decent battery life when this hits in November, with a starting price of $1,799.

[Via SlashGear]

[muddyh2o @ Oct 20th 2008 8:53AM]

has a B key. I don't want it.

[DBrim @ Oct 20th 2008 11:44AM]

And this one is more powerful, has a larger harddrive, and a much smaller footprint.

[bob sakamano @ Oct 20th 2008 8:56AM]

I'm really looking to buy a 12 inch laptop...

but other than the lenovo x200 I don't see any running the regular core 2 duo (They offer up to a 2.4 ghz processor)

everyone else is just offering the ULV.... does anyone know much about these? how do they compare? how do they show video/music/internet?

[jorvay @ Oct 20th 2008 9:10AM]

If it's anything like the Fujitsu's I've seen in action, it'll be fantastic. They work amazingly and last for ever.

[swingin' dick hero @ Oct 20th 2008 9:03AM]

You just dag your own grave, d00d.

[Ivand @ Oct 20th 2008 9:37AM]

that looks great, the specs are really good, it is small and lightweight.. awesome

[KilgoreTrout @ Oct 20th 2008 9:57AM]

Yes, not bad at all,but to convince me to trade in my MSI wind it will have to show me that shaving the bezel brought its total dimensions in line with the average 10" netbook.
If Fujitsu managed this trick it can count me among its new customers.
For me portability is more important than specs (within limits) but if I can have both portability AND good specs (without being bled dry by a Sony Vaio TT) I'm sold.

[Craig @ Oct 20th 2008 10:03AM]

I have a P8010, got it early 2008, and it has been just terrific. Loads of battery life (5+ hours even with Wi-Fi). If you need, or just want, an internal optical drive, I don't think there's a better ultraportable (under 3 lbs) value out there. Sure, it's a little thick by standards set by units with no optical drive, but if you have to carry around a USB drive, too, just in case, then there aren't any advantages to a slimmer unit.

[DBrim @ Oct 20th 2008 10:04AM]

Well, they got it half right. Why is the top bezel so huge? I realize that you have to have some there for the webcam, latch, and pads, but it looks twice as big as it needs to be.

[Prokanda @ Oct 20th 2008 11:23AM]

I fully agree with you, but thought I might point out... there is no latch. it's becoming pretty common with 15.4" and lower-screened lappies.

[Muhammad-Oli @ Oct 20th 2008 10:07AM]

Most laptops have bezels for aesthetic reasons. This laptop looks straight odd, especially considering the top bezel is huge.

[gyffes @ Oct 20th 2008 10:34AM]

Seriously, when you're working on a machine, how often do you stop and say, "damn, that's one big-assed bevel.. that's it, I'm not using this anymore!"

Yes, the bezel on the eee (the original '701') IS large and it'd've been nice if they'd presented us with a fine 8.9" screen and done away with the bezel, but it's not ever been a dealbreaker in any of my considerations.

Fujitsu are nice and small, freaking expensive and come pre-loaded with that Winvirus thingie. Reason enough to eschew it without whining about the size of the top-bezel.

[OCEAN 'CLAK' 20th @ Oct 20th 2008 10:47AM]

my laptops slimmer, the most ill hint is that it begin with m b a

[vdogg89 @ Oct 20th 2008 10:53AM]

large bezels have always been an issue with me, this is a start in the right direction but what the heck is going on with the top bezel? its twice the size of a normal one. sorry, no cookie

[Leodavinci0 @ Oct 20th 2008 11:28AM]

You shouldn't be allowed to call a laptop an ultraportable if it is greater than 1 inch thick in this day and age. There are too many laptops that deserve to be called ultraportable, since they are, and many like this that don't. What's the use of smaller width and depth when the thing is thick.

[jorvay @ Oct 20th 2008 1:38PM]

I think it's fair to consider all four dimensions (length, width, height, weight) when looking at ultraportables. The weight is definitely in the ultraportable class on this thing, and I like the idea that I can fit it in a smaller bag than I could something like an MBA (or is that MNA?) or an Envy. Hell, I bet this would fit in my girlfriend's purse.
I guess it depends more on what you want to put it in when you carry it.

[Jake @ Oct 20th 2008 11:35AM]

I'm not entirely decided on this, but I imagine that, just as a picture looks better in a frame, a display looks good with some amount of bezel to separate it from background clutter.

[DBrim @ Oct 20th 2008 11:46AM]

And this one is more powerful, has a larger harddrive, and a much smaller footprint.

(and no, that's not the comment system's fault that I replied to the wrong one first, I'm just full of fail)

[Bad Beaver @ Oct 20th 2008 1:53PM]

Guys, for every forthcoming 12" notebook I would like you to please mention whether it has a Firewire port or not. Even if it is an ugly mutha like this one. It has, by the way, but Fujitsu didn't bother telling whether it's 6- or just 4-pin in the specs. If you check the pictures you'll see it is just 4-pin.

[darcyv @ Oct 20th 2008 4:39PM]

I also hate screen bezel ...this looks nice... also looking forward to the new studio xps notebooks with the rumored floating screen

[Testies, Testies, 1, 2... 3? @ Oct 20th 2008 6:08PM]

Starts with i... ends with e... let's see.. your iAnuse? Or is that a white, creamy bezel?