Kontron intros ultra-rugged 13-pound NotePAC
By Darren Murph 
posted December 15th 2006 11:25AM
posted December 15th 2006 11:25AM
If you think your Toughbook or Itronix laptop is hardcore, then you haven't been formally introduced to Kontron's forthcoming NotePAC. While we've seen our fair share of rugged (and not-so-rugged) devices, this bad boy definitely ups the ante. Presumably designed to literally go through hell (and back), the nearly 13-pound beast can survive a 3-foot drop onto solid concrete, is MIL-STD 810F and IEC 529 certified for shock and vibration tolerance, and there's even an available upgrade that adds MIL-STD-461 certification for low electromagnetic radiation output, and ATEX (atmospheric explosives) certification "for use in areas where the slightest spark could prove deadly." Besides the tank-like armor surrounding it, it holds a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 processor within, accompanied by up to 2GB of DDR RAM, a 12.1- or 14.1- touchscreen LCD, removable 80 GB / 120GB SATA hard drives (mounted in shock absorbing, sealed cartridges, no less), and a hard disc heater that keeps your platters spinning down to minus 36 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, you'll find twin PCMCIA slots, gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, VGA output, and a myriad of connectivity options that include UMTS, GSM, GPRS, GPS, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Notably, the system has been "fully validated" under Windows XP, but can also be ordered sans an OS if users wish to install Linux, and the company's own product manager stated that Kontron had already tested SUSE Linux and found that it "ran well" under the circumstances. Though we've no idea how much coinage this uber-tough NotePAC will demand, it'll be available to customize starting next month.
wow, it's like the swiss army knife of computers
That thing looks like the SUV of computers. Its huge, beastly, and it looks like it could go through a war zone.
I irrationally want it.
"and a hard disc heater that keeps your platters spinning down to minus 36 degrees Fahrenheit"
WTF? That doesn't even make sense.
How can the hard-drive heater thing not make sense to you? You put a hard drive in a freezer, it'll freeze, the bearings lock up and the platters can't spin. Haven't you heard of the freezer trick for resurrecting hard drives for that final last-ditch data recovery attempt before you throw them away?
Makes perfect sense to me, high altitude or extreme weather conditions are not something I'd want to run a regular laptop in, extreme cold is just as bad for a laptop as extreme heat so I'm glad to see they at least thought of that even if (apparently) those screen hinges are shite. ;)
We use these in the Air Farce. The display hinges are weak. Not the greatest. Whats even worst is that they run Windose XP. Lame.
would this thing be protected against an emp? (are any laptops protected from an emp?)
Seeing as how EMP's are currently generated only by nuclear blasts, the laptop is probably not your first priority.
Why isn't it waterproof?!
Pretty epic bit of kit.
Someone's already made the splash-proof PC. Think it was Tosh or Fujitsu, someone like that.
This laptop looks like it was built to be pitched to NASA for the ISS... But IBM Lenovo got there 15 years earlier. Oops
whoopee - this thing is made by a company called Getac. It has been sold under a dozen different names (Dolch, Ranger, Getac,...) for years.
Nothing new here - move along
This thing is ugly, ugly, ug-LEE!! For the same thing only better, I'd rather have the Itronix GoBook XR-1. Still Fully Rugged (exceeds MIL STD 810F), but with a load more style and less than half as heavy!! www.gd-computing.com
EMPs are not created solely by nuclear detonation.
You can always tell when a computer is running Norton Protection Center. (yellow icon on task bar.) I hate that program. The laptop, itself sure looks... rugged (and ugly).
Yep, these have been around for a LONG time.
http://www.getac.com/pages/products/prod_A770.html
Can you use it to call in an airstrike? Seriously, this thing should be sold in either arctic, desert or jungle cam.
what happens if you drop it 3.1 feet???