It may seem premature now, but solid state is where hard drives are heading. I've seen a couple of portables already incorporating it, and once prices come down, you'll see more and more laptops headed towards this direction. Sony has done it with its little UX device. Samsung and Asus have introduced their own portables with solid state drives. Today, Fujitsu becomes more solid, announcing the Lifebook B6210 and the Lifebook P1610 with 16GB and 32GB SSD options.

So what's the advantage of using SSD? Many are touting faster transfer speeds, but the real draw is durability. You eliminate the instability of read-write heads and spinning platters. Systems crash less frequently. SSD drives don't generate a lot of heat, and they don't draw as much battery life as their spinning counterparts.

The downside is that SSD drives are expensive and limited in capacity. A Lifebook with a 16GB SSD drive will run about $700 more than one with a standard hard drive, whereas the 32GB option will boost the price by $1,200.

These laptops will appeal to professionals in healthcare, finance (trading floors in particular), and sales (traveling salespeople). Solid state drives are a plus in situations where valuable data is stored on servers. They're good for places where laptops are subject to significant shock. These include construction sites, vehicles on which the laptop is mounted, anywhere the laptop is at risk of falling onto a hard surface. In addition to the SSD drive, the P1610--a convertible tablet with touch screen functions--and be outfitted with a yellow neoprene jacket to further protect the laptop from bumping and bruising.

You can't buy Fujitsu's SSD-equipped systems at a retail store or even online. The company is focusing on high-volume sales, and potential buyers will be put into direct sales by calling a phone number.