So here it is, one of the world's first notebooks with support for 3G built into it, and I've written one of the first complete reviews to appear anywhere. I'm talking about the Fujisu Siemens LIFEBOOK E8210.
What's it all about? well, your SIM card sits in a slot under the battery, where, the idea goes, it stays permanently, providing access to voice and data communications, email and web surfing anywhere there is a mobile phone connection, and at 3G speed where this is accessible.
This is an idea aimed squarely at companies rather than at consumers, and is based on the theory that busy professionals need to be able to communicate properly wherever they are and whenever they desire it. During the time I had this notebook in my posession I certainly found doing email and web surfing was a treat thanks to the fast speed and large screen for display, so there's no doubt that the theory works.
But if I were an employer would I take kindly to furnishing people with extra SIMs and then sitting back while they rack up the data charges? Probably only if I could be sure that data was being expended on company business and not on buying the weekly grocery shopping, and even then only if it was certain that the data access had to be done right now and couldn't wait till the office network was available.
Notebook manuafacturers clearly think 3G is worth the trouble of integrating, though, and you can expect to see more examples of integration in the coming months. Whether it'll be going strong this time next year, we'll have to wait and see.
In the mean time, read my full review here
What's it all about? well, your SIM card sits in a slot under the battery, where, the idea goes, it stays permanently, providing access to voice and data communications, email and web surfing anywhere there is a mobile phone connection, and at 3G speed where this is accessible.
This is an idea aimed squarely at companies rather than at consumers, and is based on the theory that busy professionals need to be able to communicate properly wherever they are and whenever they desire it. During the time I had this notebook in my posession I certainly found doing email and web surfing was a treat thanks to the fast speed and large screen for display, so there's no doubt that the theory works.
But if I were an employer would I take kindly to furnishing people with extra SIMs and then sitting back while they rack up the data charges? Probably only if I could be sure that data was being expended on company business and not on buying the weekly grocery shopping, and even then only if it was certain that the data access had to be done right now and couldn't wait till the office network was available.
Notebook manuafacturers clearly think 3G is worth the trouble of integrating, though, and you can expect to see more examples of integration in the coming months. Whether it'll be going strong this time next year, we'll have to wait and see.
In the mean time, read my full review here