LifeBook T4410: Good Touch Features, But A Little Too Heavy

The T4410 houses a 2.2GHz T6670 Core 2 Duo CPU; 2GB of DDR3-1066 RAM; and a 160GB, 5400-rpm hard drive. Running Windows 7 Professional (32-bit), the T4410 earned a mark of 86 on our WorldBench 6 test suite. That's a scant three points higher than its older sibling, the Fujitsu LifeBook T5010, which ran Windows Vista Business edition on similar components. We timed the unit's battery life at almost 4.5 hours, putting slightly above the average for all-purpose laptops.

Like the T5010, the LifeBook T4410 is built for business. The screen's bezel accommodates a 2.0-megapixel Webcam, a pair of microphones, a fingerprint reader, a pair of speakers, a sliding power switch, and five customizable shortcut buttons. It looks a bit cluttered when you work in standard laptop mode, but the logic becomes clear when you fold the screen down, and everything remains readily accessible. The screen's orientation can be shifted with the push of a button--handy for switching from portrait to landscape mode, or for adjusting to suit left- or right-handed users.

The chassis is sturdy, and the screen swivels smoothly, without feeling flimsy. The T4410 also offers a fair number of connectivity options, scattered about the base: three USB ports, a four-pin FireWire port, HDMI and VGA outputs, gigabit ethernet, multiformat card reader, and an ExpressCard slot. The DVD burner is housed in a modular bay, and you can replace it with a second battery (at extra cost) if you need to spend more time away from the power outlet. The speakers are predictably subpar--this is a business notebook, after all--so if audio playback is important to you, you'll want to pick up a pair of headphones or a proper set of speakers.

I found the 84-key keyboard comfortable to type on, with reasonably quiet and evenly spaced scissor keys. The undersize function keys make some tasks a bit of a chore, and the lack of dedicated media keys is disappointing, but overall the experience is still pleasant. The T4410's trackpad is less impressive. Though smooth and responsive, it is a bit narrow and lies flush with the armrest; inevitably, touch-typists who have large hands will graze it, sending their cursor flying and making extended typing sessions frustrating.

But never mind the trackpad: You're here for the touchscreen. If you enjoy writing on dead trees and have yet to dabble with Windows 7's excellent handwriting recognition, you're in for a treat. The T4410's 12.1-inch display sports a resolution of 1200 by 800, and is large enough to write on comfortably. The recognition program adeptly translates all but the most doctorly of scribbles, and the T4410's lightweight stylus (with eraser nub) stows handily into the base of the chassis. Spring for the optional dual digitizer, and you'll get a capacitive multitouch screen. Multitouch gestures (also courtesy of Windows 7) are snappy and responsive, and the dual digitizer adds just $100 to the price-tag--a paltry surcharge for a device whose price starts at $1200.