Product Reviews

Few people are familiar with pen tablets, but the Stylistic LT is such an innovative product that it threatens to bring them into the mainstream. These pen-operated computers can be held in one hand and yet have the same power as a notebook. They aren't designed to replace notebooks but as a solution for mobile workers who, to quote Fujitsu, need 'on-the-spot decision support'.

Before you switch it on, everything about the Stylistic points to it running Windows CE or EPOC32. It measures just 240 x 160 x 28mm, weighs a svelte 1.05kg, and has a stylus as its pointing device. But press the power button and it's Windows 98 that appears. Not only is the OS unexpected, so is the number of accessories the Stylistic offers. There's an infrared keyboard, docking station, power supply and external floppy drive. These extras aren't designed to be carried with you, but to convert the tablet into a fully fledged PC back at the office.

The list of specifications is less surprising. A 233MHz Pentium MMX processor is supported by 64Mb of SDRAM and a shock-mounted 4.3Gb hard disk. It has an IrDA port, a USB port and two Type II PC Card slots. There is also an integrated Ethernet LAN in the tablet, which can be accessed using the RJ-45 port in the docking station.

The infrared keyboard is small, but good enough to be used for long periods at a time. CIC PenX handwriting-recognition software is pre-installed, so alternatively you can write on the screen and watch it turn into text before your eyes. You need to form each character separately rather than write in joined-up script, so if you're serious about entering text then take the keyboard along with you.

Primarily though, the Stylistic is designed for running applications where the main input involves using the pen.

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This is when the Stylistic comes into its own. The machine is light and sits comfortably in the hand, and the 8.4in TFT screen is well lit. It's a good size, highly readable even outdoors and responds well to the stylus. However, it's designed as a touch-sensitive screen and can't match the best TFT displays.

The docking station is neat, holding the Stylistic LT at a choice of four angles for perfect viewing. The station holds a further plethora of goodies including serial and parallel ports, output for an external monitor (up to 1,024 x 768), an RJ-45 LAN port and an external floppy. However, the dimensions of the screen and the overall power of the system severely limit the Stylistic's aspirations to be a main PC.

Given its dimensions, it's difficult not to compare the Stylistic with a Windows CE machine. The minute it takes to boot feels horribly slow for a hand-held device - until you remember that this is normal for Windows 98. Thankfully, the machine is fitted with the Phoenix 'save-to-disk technology', so at the touch of a button the entire machine state is saved to disk and shut down in just a few seconds. Waking up takes longer - around 12-15 seconds - but the machine fires up in exactly the same state as before.

This is just as well given the battery life: the standard version fitted to the test machine lasted a maximum of 90 minutes. For a further £140, an add-on extended-life battery gives an extra three hours. The LT's docking station can be permanently plugged into the mains and acts as a charging unit though, so to some extent this facility makes up for its poor battery life.

The list price with all the accessories is £2,492 - surprisingly reasonable considering the specialist market. Fujitsu also promises large discounts for bulk orders, and you can pick and choose the accessories you need.

The benchmark score of 0.52 compares poorly against all the notebooks we've seen this month, but is a fair reflection of the machine's humble processor. However, this sort of machine isn't built with speed in mind. The Stylistic's 90-minute battery life is also slightly disappointing, but perhaps not a surprise considering the size and weight of the machine. Despite this, Fujitsu deserves praise for producing such a stylish and flexible machine, and it may well make many more IT managers consider pen tablets as an option.