The UMPC Fujitsu U1010 / U810 - tweak guide

Yet another update on my current technology escapades...

I've been looking at such gadgets for sometime now, its just that they've either been too expensive costing upwards of 8,000 ringgit or is only available in the land of miniaturization, Japan.

It was one of those days where I was just browsing one of the electronic stores when I caught this thing staring at me from an enclosed case - it was the Fujitsu U1010. Its size, its features plus its a full blown notebook! I had sleepness nights, it was almost unreal. 2 days later... voila!







Anyway, enough of me getting to the nitty gritty details on how I got it. The main purpose of this entry was due to something which I found not available on the internet - a guide on tweaking the U1010 for that wee bit faster performance and more importantly for legibility.

Resolution

Text legibility
One of the primary concerns that struck me after purchasing the device was that the screen was really high res BUT that simply made text almost illegible... solution? Change the DPI settings which can be easily accessed by doing the following :

• Right click on the desktop
• Personalize
• Select "adjust font size (DPI)" from the far left side of the screen
• Select "custom scale" followed by "custom DPI" and set font size to 110%
• Restart and you're done!

Setting your device for "Touch" mode
This is something that was overlooked by Fujitsu when they shipped the device. Microsoft packed every UMPC device installed with Windows Vista with a little add-on pack called the Origami Experience. It's basically an interface that's built for our small-size screens. Enabling access to multimedia files and other functions of a device - albeit like the Media Centre but more refined and custom designed for UMPC use.

Within Origami comes a quick "one-click" feature that turns your Fujitsu into "Vista UMPC" mode - a name I created :) It enlarges certain buttons on the screen for easy stylus and finger usage, start menu's height is reduced to UMPC specs etc.

Here's what you do:

• Click start
• Search for "Origami"
• Start "Origami Experience"
• In the Origami app, click "Programs" -> "Tools" -> "Touch settings"
• Click "Optimize touch settings" -> click OK
• Restart the computer and that's it!

Performance

Memory
The device comes with a standard 1GB RAM which unfortunately cannot be upgraded whithout soldering involved as it's soldered onto the motherboard. Solution? ReadyBoost.

It's a feature that comes with Windows Vista which enables the use of compatible flash / thumb drives as memory boosts for the machine. In my case, I use an 8GB Corsair flash drive which costs me 140 ringgit... not bad for an 8 GB eh?

Steps?

• Buy 8GB or whatever capacity flash drive - note Vista will only use up to 4GB from the drive for memory boost purposes
• Plug it in
• Select "Ready Boost"
• Voila! - System now runs at 5GB of RAM! (1 GB built-in + 4 GB from ReadyBoost)

Removal of fancy Aero effects
This may seem a bit sad as it'll take away all the beautiful shadows and transparent window effects that make Vista seem that wee bit more beautiful than it's predecessors.

If you're ready to make that sacrifice, expect a bit of performance boost by doing the following :

• Click start
• Search for "Performance Information & Tools"... start the App
• Select adjust visual effects from the far left corner of the window
• Select "Adjust for best performance" and click OK
• That's it!

Will post more tips & ideas as I explore this baby!