The Fujitsu Lifebook U1010 (my unboxing gallery here) has served me very well over the last few weeks. It's stood up to day-to-day commuting travel with ease; is a delight to use on an aircraft (suddenly those seat trays look HUGE); and with the addition of Microsoft OneNote it is the most powerful/flexible "ink" device I've ever used.

One of my first complains about the U1010 was that the Asia-Pacific version came with a cheap and nasty neoprene slip case instead of a leather case or pouch. And I'm still critical of Fujitsu Australia for making genuine accessories - like batteries and cases - so bloody expensive here. I've held off buying a second battery until I can find a cheaper source, but I've bitten the bullet and ordered an over-priced leather case.

See, a number of years ago I managed to stick my knee through the screen of a PDA (Cassiopeia E10) when I knelt on a backpack in which it was travelling. Needless to say, the owner (me) wasn't particularly happy with the situation and vowed that all future gadgets would be adequately protected against accidental damage by clumsy oafs (ie me).

Dozens of PDAs, laptops and mobile phones later, I pleased to report that I've had pretty good track record. Purchasing a good quality case at the time of purchasing the device (where possible) has become second nature, and I've been rewarded with years of damage-free gadgeting. Until 5 mins ago.

Unfortunately, the new U1010 case will arrive a day or so late.

I was up in the garage and getting myself ready for a ride on the scooter:

Keys - CHECK!
Jacket - CHECK!
Helmet - CHECK!
GPS - CHECK!
Bluetooth Headset - CHECK!
Backpack - CHECK!
Gloves..... gloves?

I remembered the gloves were in my otherwise empty backpack. So I undid the main zipper, turned it upside down, and gave it a damn good shake. Not only did gloves emerge from the darkness of the "otherwise empty" backpack - and hurtle onto the concrete floor - but so did a Fujitsu U1010. ARRRRRGH! My U101 was basically "thrown" at the ground from a distance of about a metre (a little over 3ft). The entire impact was worn by the corner of the unit which pokes out of the neoprene slip case.

I felt sick to the stomach.

The bad news: The rough concrete floor did not play nicely when the plastic shell of the U1010 hit it at high speed. Dirty gouges (hardly a scuff!) appeared on the top-right corner of the unit.

The good news: The unit was in standby mode (HDD stopped) and the screen was closed facing the keyboard (as opposed to being closed in tablet mode). I nervously hit the power button and the unit immediately sprung to attention asking for my fingerprint to log on. Sweet action.

Suddenly, I felt a whole lot better.

Today's lesson #1: The U1010 is very light and, like a PDA or mobile, it can be easy to forget where you leave it. Of course, this can be an expensive oversight.

Today's lesson #2: Get yourself a good quality case NOW and avoid regret later on.

Today's lesson #3: The Fujitsu U1010 (and, presumably the U810) is a bloody tough piece of kit!