Itronix's Duo-Touch ruggedized Tablet PC
By Peter Rojas 
posted May 31st 2005 1:37PM
posted May 31st 2005 1:37PM
We feel just the slightest bit sorry for you if have the kind of job where you need a Tablet PC that'll operate in sub-freezing temperatures, but Itronix just announced the Duo-Touch, a new ruggedized Tablet PC designed for use in extremely cold environments. The Duo-Touch meets military-grade specs for ruggedness, and has a die-cast magnesium casing, an 8.4-inch LCD screen that can flip between active digitizer and passive touch screen modes, a 1.1GHz Pentium M processor, integrated GPS, 1280MB of RAM, a 128MB video card, support for both 802.11g WiFi and cellular data (UMTS, GPRS/EDGE, or EV-DO) add-on modules, and a hard drive heater to ensure that this thing boots up when it's below zero.
Hard drive heater? =)
Plug it in next to the outlet for my car in the winter?
(Yes, in north of Sweden we plug our cars into a electrical outlet at night. No, our cars run on petrol.)
Perhaps I'm missing something, but what good is all that ruggedness if the screen isn't bulletproof or at least shatter proof?
I´m a mechanichal engineer in an Ice cream factory and my job is to be sure the freezers work in a -35 to -25 C (-31 to -13 F)temperature range, be free to feel sorry for me. By the way, this thing will work only up to -20C (near sahara temperature).
1280MB of RAM!!!??? That's crazy for a tablet! I'm pretty sure it's a typo.
yea, 1280 doesnt work, its have to be like 1256 (1.25 gigs) so looks like a typo to me
actually not. that's only 1.2gb of ram. 512mb is minimum.
8.4 in screen seems like a reasonable size for a tablet if it is more like a compliment to a regular laptop.
It's not a typo. 1024MB + 256MB = 1280MB.
Looks like a rebranded HP tr3000 hardened tablet with better video, or maybe HP's is a rebranded version of this one. Either way HP discontinued theirs early this year. HP doesn't have a product page for it anymore, but if you google for tr3000 you'll see plenty of pictures.
The duo touch makes me wonder if it actualy works as a touch screen or requires the stylus like the HP did.
The HP had 256MB of RAM soldered onto the board, and one SODIMM slot that would accept a 1G chip. So 1280 is correct.
If this thing has any of the same problems the tr3000 had, stay away from it. I would easily over-heat and lock up, the WIFI was a strange chipset on the USB bus plus and a number of other problems.
Hi Anton,
HP's was a rebranded version of Itronix' original GoBook Tablet PC. The Tablet PC is being replaced by the new and enhanced dual-mode Duo-Touch Tablet PC, also by Itronix, which can be used as a passive or active touch Tablet PC. Hope that helps!
I have a HP tr3000. Does anyone know if the Itronix Duo-Touch has a better outdoor (brighter) display than the HP?