U810 Review

So the battery is one of the U810’s biggest strengths over other UMPC’s and even over many laptops. Rated at 5.5 hours of battery life, the U810 will definitely get you through most of the day on just one battery. But, if you find that you aren’t coming anywhere near that 5.5 hours of battery life or would like to extend your unplugged usage time of the U810 to even more than 5.5 hours, here are some things you can do with the Fujitsu U810 Lifebook.

One nice feature that comes with the Fujitsu U810 is a software feature that allows you to enter ‘power saving mode’. This mode will shut off the SD and compact flash card slots and also dim the screen a bit. This will save some power at times when you are not using the SD card. I recommend using the U810 in power saving mode when you don’t have an SD or compact flash card inserted or being used. If you need an increase in screen brightness, you can always hold the function key down and increase the brightness using the keyboard function.

The screen clarity is also a nice feature of the Fujitsu U810 and because it is so clear and bright, it will allow you to keep the brightness at lower levels while in use, so that you don’t drain the battery as quickly.

Also, if you aren’t using Bluetooth or wireless internet, the Fujitsu U810 comes with a switch on the left side of the device that will turn on or off the Bluetooth and wireless NIC. It is however an all or nothing switch. So you can’t use it to turn just the Bluetooth off while leaving the Wi-Fi on. Most of the time I find it pointless and just leave it on as I always use wireless internet. Plus, if I were using ethernet, then I will also most likely be in range of a power outlet in which case I won’t need to bother switching off Bluetooth and the Wi-Fi NIC. But it is nice for those rare occurrences when you aren’t using any internet at all.

If you have Windows Vista installed on your Fujitsu U810, then Vista has a really nice feature on it called Sleep mode. Don’t confuse this with Standby mode that was in Windows XP. This is one of the nicest features with Windows Vista that is very crucial that you take advantage of with your U810. Many people complain about the boot up times with UMPC’s because of their lack of computing power. But, what sleep mode does, is it sends the device into a very low power consumption mode (I am talking very low here). It basically uses just enough power to keep things stored in RAM while the rest of the unit is turned off. This means that when you open the device again, it immediately ‘boots up’ again and you are ready to go, all while saving yourself some battery power. It can be up and ready to go after being in sleep mode in under 10 seconds and it can enter sleep mode in under 10 seconds as well.

My Fujitsu U810 is rarely ever technically turned off. It is always running in sleep mode. Because of this, it helps me save battery life by sending it into sleep mode and not having to worry about having to keep it on so that I don’t lose my work. It also helps me get started with my work quicker by not ever having to worry about long boot up times. Many people that have seen me work with my Fujitsu U810 say to me “Wow, that device boots up quick!”, but little do they know it was just leaving sleep mode.

Lastly, if you are looking for longer usage of your U810 without being plugged in, then you can always opt to purchase an additional battery to double your battery life. You are warned however that purchasing an additional battery is not cheap. An extra battery can run you another couple hundred dollars. Check out some extra U810 batteries here.