Forbes takes on ruggedized laptops
posted June 22nd 2005 10:31AM
With laptop computers now
outselling desktops, a lot of people will soon be
learning what we've known for years: if you bought it, you'll break it. One fall from a too-small Starbucks table,
out of an open briefcase, or from your slippery fingers, and that $2,000 ultralight is a piece of worthless
ultratoast. Fortunately, the computer industry has a solution: ruggedized laptops, designed for users whose work
takes them into dangerous places like construction sites and war zones. Forbes' Arik Hesseldahl took a look at a
two of these — Panasonic's Toughbook 29 and the Itronix GoBook III — to see how well they meet the needs of
regular, but butterfingered, computer users. His conclusion: they took a licking and kept on ticking. Of course,
all that toughness comes at a cost, both in terms of size (these tanks weigh about 8 pounds) and price (expect to
pay at least $4,000). Still, if you've trashed a few Vaios and Librettos in your day, you may want to consider one
of these; as a bonus, you can also use them to bludgeon anyone who might try to steal it from you.
I need one of those. Might stop me from killing the thing if I repeat past actions and step on the screen...
I've had a certain fetish with lightweight, ultra durable writing machines over the years. First there was that portable Selectric. That thing could take quite the licking and keep on ticking. Not exactly lightweight, though, especially by today's standards. My first digital writer was a Tandy 102. It cost a frickin' fortune at the time, but it held up quite well. No moving parts and very easy on the back. I dropped it several times and it fired right up. I still love the little thing. It's working fine, but it's a little tricky to upload text.
Nowadays, I tend to rely on low-tech "replaceables" for writing in rough environments. I don't do anything other than write when I'm away from my G5, so the QuickPad Pro has served me well. Runs DOS of all things. Lately I've also been trying out an AlphaSmart Neo. Wonderful hardware, awesome keyboard, extremely rugged. You could pound a nail with this thing. It's too bad the software sucks to all hell, cause it would be a great machine for those cross-desert or through-the-jungle trips.
As for a -real- laptop... well, I can't help but think it's ironic that these rugged "go anywhere" computers are too frickin' heavy to take anywhere. Or maybe us travel writers are just wimps. :-)
I've personally also favored having a "thin client" for portable computing. There's just something uncomfortable about having all of my data in something that could easily be damaged, lost, or stolen (at least compared to my trusty desktop). To me, a full featured laptop isn't necessarily a bad thing, but packing everything in a laptop seems equivalent to keeping all of your cash, account information, passport, membership cards, pictures, ID cards, credit cards and so on in your wallet everyday and everywhere you go.
You can always get Completecare from Dell. Saved me on at least one occasion.
Well, I think that ATM it's more convenient (cheaper) to get insurance for the laptop... I got 3 years of warranty+insurance with my Dell I8600...
Ive got a Toughbook W2 which is a great rugged subnotebook. I knocked it off a table (~3 feet tall) and no problems.
Yea sure, ruggedized. No one who buys a fancy-pantz looking laptop is going to get one of these. They always end up looking fat and ugly, besides this is just another reason to get a breakable laptop as it say I don't care to you.
what is wrong with that person's fingers??
Steven (#2),
How do you like the QuickPad's keyboard compared to the AlphaSmart Neo's? I have a Neo and love the hardware, but like you I think the software needs help. Apparently the AlphaSmart programmers are trying to fix it, but with the acquisition it'll probably be awhile.
Anyhow, I agree with the others here that think a rugged computer that can go anywhere should also be light enough to take anywhere, with battery life to last for a long time when away from power. I'll keep using [URL=http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y127/vrf/neoprened.jpg]my Neo[/URL] for now (700 hours on 3AAs), but that's only for writing. Maybe someday we'll have a ruggedized, 2lb full-fledged computer that can last for a few hundred hours. (With no moving parts.)
When I'm in the field, I use a QuickPad Pro, too. I've not tried the AlphaSmart Neo, but I think the QuickPad is very durable. I've dropped it a number of times and it still works fine. (I've not gotten it wet, though.)
I was involved in a competitive analysis test recently of these two laptops. Check out the results on our website at http://keylabs.com/results/itronix/itronix.html
I was involved in a competitive analysis test recently of these two laptops. Check out the results on our website at http://keylabs.com/results/itronix/itronix.html