But first a bit of history, the Fujitsu Lifebook P1510D was initially launched in the summer of 2005 with Windows XP Professional making it seem as just another lightweight notebook. Fujitsu did however include a stylus which was very functional as a mouse replacement. But this still didn't allow the P1510D to function as a true tablet PC, mainly due to the fact that any handwritten input had to be done using a special application and there was a lack of OS-wide support for handwriting.

In the winter Fujitsu decided to re-release the Lifebook P1510D with Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and according to the Director of Mobile Products Marketing at Fujitsu, Mr. Paul Moore, there was absolutely no hardware change required to adapt the P1510D to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition; a fact which has even taken Microsoft by surprise. All that was needed was a simple BIOS update.

With this move not only did this notebook gain complete support for handwritten input but also Windows XP Tablet PC Edition's inherent voice input capabilities, adding more to the usability and convenience of the P1510D.

Alas, nothing good is ever perfect. This tiny marvel does have a few shortcomings of its own. For a start, its 8.9" widescreen display operates at an odd resolution of 1024 x 600 (as opposed to the standard 1024x768). This may seem a tad on the short side to some people but they'll soon get used to it. Besides, the P1510D will probably be used more in its slate form than in the conventional laptop position especially since the keyboard is rather small as well which is expected in such a small lightweight device.

In addition, Fujitsu has opted to use a joystick mouse on the P1510D which is understandable and common for laptops in its class but might pose a bit of a challenge for first time users. Although as mentioned earlier most people will probably be using the stylus anyway.

Lastly, the battery life is only at a little over 3 hours. But luckily Fujitsu does offer a high capacity battery which doubles the battery life to over 6 hours while adding only half an inch to the depth of the laptop and still maintaining the weight at a very light weight of 2.5 pounds. The low weight is in part due to the lack of an internal optical drive on the P1510D which I believe to be wise as it saves not only on weight but also battery power.

Overall the Fujitsu Lifebook P1510D offers a very attractive mix of performance, portability, and ease of use. And despite its aforementioned shortcomings it still remains a top contender to be the best ultra lightweight tablet PC currently available.