RuggedTablet
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Xplore debuts rugged iX104C4 tablet PC
Xplore Technologies isn't exactly the most prolific purveyor of rugged computers, but it looks like it's finally managed to churn out a follow-up to its circa-2006 iX104C3 tablet PC, with its new and slightly improved iX104C4 now making its official debut. This one retains the same 10.4-inch form factor of its predecessor, but gets a 50% brighter Dual Mode AllVue Xtreme display (still XGA), along with a 1.2GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and all the usual wLAN, wWAN, Bluetooth and GPS options. As has been the case with Xplore in the past, there's no word on a price but, then again, most of the folks that wind up using these in the field won't exactly be paying for them out of their own pocket.
Algiz 10 rugged tablet: sleek but tough
Rugged and industrial applications are one market where tablet PCs have really done fairly well, but they've always looked pretty chunky, which is why we're somewhat impressed with Handheld US's latest entry, the Algiz 10. The 10.4-inch tablet manages to meet the tough MIL-STD-810F military standards for shock, vibration, and moisture and can operate in temps from -4 to 140 Fahrenheit in a housing that's not entirely ugly, and still pack in a ULV 1.2GHz Core Duo, 80GB drive, 2GB of RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, an EDGE / GPRS radio and a beefy nine-cell 7800mAh Li-on battery that can run Windows XP for seven hours. No word on pricing, but if you're the type who actually needs one of these, we're guessing it's worth it.[Via PDA Today, thanks Bill]
MobileDemand lets loose rugged xTablet T8700 tablet PC
It may not look all that different from its previous xTablet T8600, but MobileDemand still seems to have found plenty to brag about its new xTablet T8700 rugged tablet PC, which it says offers the "industry's highest performance" in addition to "superior ruggedness." That performance is centered around a 1.2GHz Core Duo processor and a standard 2GB of RAM, which certainly isn't much compared to consumer laptops and tablet PCs, but is pretty uncommon in a rugged tablet of this class, which are usually saddled with a Celeron or the like. On that other, even more important matter (at least for anyone in the market for one of these), you can expect an MIL-STD 810F rating for ruggedness and an IP 65 rating for sealing, which you can see put to the test in video form on MobileDemand's website. Needless to say, none of this exactly comes cheap, with a hefty $3,795 required to call this one your own.
ACA Digital's XT1100 rugged tablet PC hits the FCC
You won't hear us grumbling about a new competitor in the rugged tablet PC arena, and while it's probably too early to tell whether ACA Digital's latest device is one to pay attention to, it has managed to slip into the divulging hands of the FCC. The self-proclaimed "rugged" XT1100 sports a fairly uninspiring enclosure, a VIA Eden CPU, VIA CX700M chipset, 256MB of DDR2 RAM, optional 2.5-inch HDD, a 10.4-inch SVGA or VGA TFT touchscreen, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, optional GPS module, and a rechargeable Li-ion battery. Additionally, there looks to be a PC card slot, CF slot, headphone / microphone jacks, "telephone" and Ethernet ports, a pair of serial ports, VGA, a duo of USB connectors, padded bumpers on each corner, joystick, numerical, and directional buttons on the face, and 802.11a/b/g WiFi. As expected, there's no word on pricing nor future availability, but we all know the final frontier isn't too far away after getting green lit by the FCC.
