Fujitsu Siemens LifeBook E8410 review

The Fujitsu Siemens LifeBook E8410 (£1436 inc. VAT) targets the corporate user. It offers comprehensive wireless connectivity in a comfortable package.

The 15.4-inch screen is a TFT panel and does without a glossy coating. As a result, colours could be more vibrant, but it's a good compromise when out and about; images are easy to see, even in direct sunlight, with reflections kept to a minimum.

The LifeBook also features a resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels (SXGA+). Images are therefore sharp, and there's space to work with several windows simultaneously.

The FSC features a dedicated graphics card. The Nvidia's GeForce 8400M G is an entry-level solution, but its inclusion means you'll be able to use the E8410 for complex multimedia presentations or even the odd game in your spare time. The dedicated GPU didn't affect battery life greatly, and we managed to get a respectable 209 minutes of use away from a power point.

Although many corporate laptops are only offered in sombre black, this machine has a distinctive two-tone finish. The light-grey keyboard is large and comfortable, although we found it got dirty fairly quickly. It also flexed under slight pressure, which is unacceptable on a machine at this price point.

Pointing stick

You'll find a pointing stick in the middle of the keyboard, along with the more traditional touchpad for navigation.

There are mouse buttons for each. The chassis felt sturdy to the touch, but lacked a little overall robustness. This is mainly due to the plastic casing, instead of a stronger magnesium alloy construction.

There's plenty of power on offer, with the FSC running applications with little lag. You'll be able to multi-task with ease thanks to the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. But the 80GB hard drive is small, and seems like an oversight in a near-£1,500 laptop. It will fill up rapidly if storing movie files, but it's large enough for documents, photographs and music.

Connectivity is excellent, with everything from Bluetooth to an 802.11n wireless adapter in place. The 3G adapter features an integrated antenna and the SIM is accessed by removing the battery. We found connecting to the internet using the pre-installed Sierra Wireless software easy, and the LifeBook offered a strong signal. This machine is not tied to a particular network.

Although it's fully featured with good all-round performance, the LifeBook E8410 could be sturdier and fails to live up to its premium price tag.