Fujitsu calls on reseller partners to take tablets back to the market

Fujitsu is encouraging its partners to take the messages about the benefits of the tablet format back to the market, following the launch of its new ultra-portable LIFEBOOK T580 convertible notebook.  The company wants resellers to ride the wave of the current boom in slate format notebooks as a way of highlighting the superior functionality and flexibility of tablet PCs.

Weighing just 1.4k and with a 10.1-inch display, the LIFEBOOK T580 is lightweight and compact, but comes with all the advanced features mobile users want. It also offers superior battery performance, providing over nine hours of usage on the move. It's arrival makes Fujitsu's T series LIFEBOOK portfolio one of the broadest ranges of convertible tablet PCs available on the market today, with products now available in 10.1-inch, 12.1-inch and 13.3-inch form factors.

This device, along with the larger LIFEBOOK T730 and T900 models provide more practical and usable alternatives to the slate various formats that are now arriving on the market, says Ian Leigh, channel marketing and development manager for Fujitsu.

"Some PC vendors are trying to capitalise on the success of the Apple iPad but in our view, the convertible PC format is a much better option for serious business users. Tablet PCs have more features and functionality, they are more robust and flexible and just as portable as slates. We think that resellers can capitalise on the higher levels of interest being generated by the slate format to boost their convertible sales."

Leigh says that by demonstrating real-world uses of the tablet PC, resellers should be able to convince users that it is a better option. "Being able to swivel and tilt the screen of a tablet while still retaining full keyboard and mouse control for example, is going to be much more effective when you are sharing ideas in a group. Writing an email, while you still have Word, Excel and your browser open on the desktop is never going to be as slick and simple on a slate as it will be on a full-featured laptop. And if the mobile device is going to be the an individual's principle working machine, , as it is for most people now, the tablet PC with its tactile keyboard, higher performance and vastly superior connectivity options, is much more practical choice."

Fujitsu is also pleased to announce that, due to the success of the scheme since it was launched at the start of October, it is now extending its zero percent finance offer on all LIFEBOOK models until the end of March 2011, so partners can continue to promote the offer during Fujitsu's busiest period of the year.

The LIFEBOOK T580, which is now fully available from Fujitsu's distribution partners, makes use of the latest Intel Core ULV processor technology.

It comes with twin USB slots, SD card and SmartCard readers, a webcam and both VGA and HDMI outputs. A simple twist of the bi-directional rotatable screen converts the T580 into a touch-screen tablet PC, with full support for Windows 7 multi-touch functionality.  It also comes with WiFi, Bluetooth and optional embedded 3G/UMTS combined with integrated GPS.