News

• The Good: Supplementary touch display is handy for launching apps and video messaging (but not much else). Functions well as a multimedia machine. Respectable battery life
• The Bad: Touch display is too small to be useful in most applications. Bulky chassis makes this 16-inch book feel more like a 17-incher. Pricey, given the hardware
• The Verdict: The addition of a built-in secondary display will make shoppers take a gander at this decent multimedia notebook, but it's not enough to justify the machine's inflated price.
• 
  

When I purchased my last television, I thought the memory card reader under the display would be something I'd use every time I returned home from an afternoon of photography. I used it once, was dissatisfied by the viewing software, and never touched it again.

In the world of consumer technology, the line between truly useful innovation and pure gimmickry is murky at best.

I recently found myself wondering on which side of this line Fujitsu's latest laptop falls. The LifeBook N7010 features a four-inch touch screen located just above the keyboard that can act as a fully functional secondary display – a first for a portable PC. To be sure, it's one of those things that can't help but grab your attention when you first see it. The question is, will it do you any good once you get it home?

New necessity or neat novelty?

This supplementary display, which Fujitsu has named the Touch Zone, is akin to a handheld GPS screen in its size, resolution, brightness and touch-interface capabilities. Lay your TomTom down just above the keyboard of your current laptop and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it looks like.

Its primary function is to act as a quick launch centre. The screen fits 15 application icons, and you can add or remove programs at your discretion. Almost anyone could make use of this feature – once they've rid themselves of their reflex to open programs in whichever way they've become accustomed. It's a minor convenience, and appreciated, but far from essential.

The Touch Zone also acts as a traditional secondary monitor. You can slide applications onto it simply by dragging them to the side of the main display. The only problem is that the screen is so small you'll be hard pressed to interact with documents and programs, much less read any text displayed at normal sizes.

The most practical use that I came up with for this tiny display was video messaging. I started up Windows Live Messenger, began a video conversation, and then slid the window down to the lower screen. That left my main display free for whatever application I happened to be running. It could be handy for video conference calls that involve document sharing, or even while playing games with a friend (being able to see the expression of anger on a buddy's face after you stab his avatar is the back is sort of thing online gamers would probably appreciate).

Still, these are niche applications at best.

My ruling: The Touch Zone display will be a novelty for most.

Multimedia at a price

Assuming you aren't one of the few who find practical use for the N7010's secondary screen, it becomes difficult to justify its surprisingly high $1,859 tag.

Its components – which include a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with a speedy 1066 MHz FSB, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM also running at 1066 MHz, and an ATI Radeon HD 3470 graphics controller – are more impressive than those of an average consumer or business notebook, but not exceptional in higher-end machines. I tested performance by installing and playing Call of Duty: World at War, and I had to bump down the resolution considerably and keep almost all of the graphical settings to low just to achieve a playable frame rate.

It does, however, fare reasonably well as a multimedia machine, which is what it's marketed as. Blu-ray playback is stutter free, and Windows Media Center performs like an Aston Martin with James Bond at the wheel. Plus, I was able to squeeze almost two hours out of the N7010's eight-cell battery while watching The Dark Knight on Blu-ray with the screen at maximum brightness and the stereo speakers blaring.

Still, its 16-inch screen maxes out at a disappointing 1366-by-768, which doesn't do justice to high-def video. What's more, it doesn't come with a media centre remote or a TV tuner card, which means you'll have to dig even more deeply into your wallet if you want to make it a full functioning entertainment machine.

Fat, but has a nice face

Fujitsu's notebook tips the scale at 3.5 kilograms and has a width, height, and depth of 38.5, 5.6, and 27.7 centimetres, respectively. By contrast, Sony's FW series VAIO (which, it's worth noting, has a screen almost half an inch larger than the N7010), weighs just 3.0 kilograms and sports smaller measurements in all three dimensions, especially height, where it knocks of nearly two full centimetres.

The N7010's portliness appears to be due to an atypically large chassis. With the 4-inch screen placed above the keyboard, it seems the designers were forced to increase the notebook's depth considerably. It may also have something to do with the base's exceptional girth.

Still, as Alienware notebooks have often proved, chubbiness doesn't always equal ugliness. Shiny, subtly sparkly ebony plastic coats the N7010's lid, and can be found surrounding the keyboard as well. The Fujitsu logo on the cover glows a pleasant white when the machine is powered on. The left side of the notebook is a smooth matte black, showing seams only for the Blu-ray disc drive, while the right side has an orderly assortment of ports and slots.

In other words, while you may need to buy a bigger bag (with a soft shoulder pad) to lug it around, there's no need to worry about the N7010's looks causing friends and family to shun you.

Too costly for serious consideration

There are plenty of other notebooks in the consumer multimedia category that offer similar or better components and sell for hundreds of dollars less. By way of example, I recently picked up HP's Blu-ray equipped Pavilion DV7-1038CA, which has a larger, higher resolution screen, a sleeker, lighter chassis, and better gaming performance. It set me back just $1,250 (on sale from $1,499).

That means the only reason to seriously consider the N7010 is if you plan to make good use of the one feature that sets it apart from other machines in its class, which is, of course, the integrated secondary display. If you happen to be a video messaging maven it might merit consideration. Otherwise, you can add Fujitsu's latest LifeBook to the list of technological innovations that have more dazzle than purpose.