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Fujitsu releases Stylistic Q550, a Windows 7-based slate device

16 Photos Elias Plastiras (PC World)

Fujitsu's new Stylistic slate device set to target the commercial market, not a competitor to iPad and Android-based tablets

  • Fujitsu's Stylistic Q550 is not a tablet designed for consumers. In fact, Fujitsu doesn't even want you to call it a tablet (a label it reserves for its tablet-convertible range of notebooks); it's a slate device. It has a 10in dual-digitiser screen, runs the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional and is powered by an Intel Atom Z670 CPU. You also get 2GB of RAM and an SSD drive with a formatted capacity of 56.5GB.

    The Stylistic Q550 addresses many of requests commercial users have regarding slate (or tablet) computers: the ability to run Windows, security, connectivity and a removable battery. The Stylistic Q550 will ship with the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional. We took a photo of it as it booted up for the first time.

  • The battery is designed so that it can be easily removed and replaced while out in the field. There is a lock to prevent the battery from accidentally popping out during regular use.

  • Part of the security solution is a Smartcard slot, which Fujitsu says is mandatory for devices that are to be used in the health sector.

  • A fingerprint reader is also present for authentication. Additionally, the Stylistic Q550's BIOS is certified to run anti-theft software (or a 'kill pill') from Absolute Software.

  • The device itself is only around 18mm thick and it feels very well constructed.

  • While its screen is 10in (it has a native resolution of 1280x800), the product itself is closer to 12.5in when you take the bezel surrounding the screen into account.

    The screen itself has a nice non-reflective finish and its viewing angles are wide. It can be viewed perfectly regardless of the orientation (an accelerometer is installed so that the screen will auto-rotate).

  • The screen is capacitive and it uses dual-digitiser technology, which allows it to accept both finger input and pen input. This means that the slate can be used for hand-written notes and its accuracy, thanks to Windows' built-in handwriting recognition, is very high.

    The screen's surface sometimes felt like it had too much grip during our tests, which made scrolling and other long movements a little uncomfortable.

  • A range of buttons is present on the right side of the tablet. From left to right, there are buttons that bring up a keyboard application, manually rotate the screen and the last button is a Ctrl-Alt-Del shortcut. The buttons feel too squishy though, and it's difficult to tell if you've actually pressed them or not. On the far right is a switch for the Wi-Fi module.

  • There are many useful ports and slots around the edges of the Q550. The top edge of the unit has a full size SD card slot.

  • The left side has a built-in microphone and an a USB port.

  • It's also where you can find a headphone port and an HDMI port.

  • The bottom has a dock connector, which plugs into the optional dock accessories.

  • The bottom also houses the integrated speaker and the power connector.

  • There is a user-facing webcam installed.

  • There is also a rear-facing camera.

  • One thing that's missing is a space to house the stylus, but there is a dedicated point to which you can attach it with a cord.

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