January 6, 2008 5:02 AM PST

Fujitsu announces LifeBook P8010

Posted by Michelle Thatcher

Could 2008 be the year of the ultraportable? Just a few days after Lenovo launched the tiny IdeaPad U110, Fujitsu has announced its own featherweight laptop. The LifeBook P8010, which weighs less than 3 pounds, manages to pack a 12.1-inch backlit-LED display and a DVD burner into a footprint the size of a piece of paper.

While Fujitsu's previous P-series ultraportable, the 10.6-inch LifeBook P7230, came stocked with a Core Solo CPU that provided middling performance, the LifeBook P8010 will come equipped with a Core 2 Duo processor. And the company is promising up to 6.5 hours of battery life with the standard six-cell battery.

The P8010's glossy black lid with silver accents will mark a new look for the P series. Aside from the distinct physical appearance, all the standard Fujitsu business-system features are here: optional Webcam, Trusted Platform Module, and a fingerprint reader that doubles as a scroll button, plus a spill-resistant keyboard and hard drive shock protection.

Pricing for the LifeBook P8010 starts at $1,699. The laptop won't be available until February, but we'll be taking a look at the P8010 this week and reporting back with our first impressions.