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Panasonic releases the Toughbook SX2, a laptop that'll take no prisoners at the quarterly conference
If you're in the market for a laptop that won't buckle if you start flinging it across the room, Ballmer-style, then Panasonic's "business ruggedized" Toughbook SX2 might be for you. Resembling one of the company's Let's Note units, the 12.1-inch unit boasts of a difficult-to-believe 14.5 hours of battery life, a slim yet sturdy magnesium alloy body and a 3.3 GHz Intel Core i5-3320M Turbo-boosted CPU. It'll arrive later this month, with the base model making a $2,649 sized hole in your company's procurement budget -- and if you'd like to know more, there's the obligatory hairy-chested press release after the break.
Panasonic outs Toughbook S10 with Sandy Bridge, USB 3.0, and 12.5-hour battery life
If you were Panasonic and had already whittled a 12-inch laptop down to three pounds while keeping the optical drive intact, what would your next move be? If you guessed make it manilla envelope-thin, you'd be wrong. The outfit just announced the Toughbook S10, and while it looks awfully similar to the three-pound S9 it's replacing, it ushers in a series of welcome (and predictable) changes on the inside. This time around, it steps up to a Sandy Bridge Core i5-2520M processor, 4GB of RAM, USB 3.0, and a battery that promises up to 12.5 hours of juice -- the longest in its class, according to Panasonic. Other I/O options include HDMI and VGA output, a USB 2.0 socket, and support for SDXC cards. Like the last generation, it can withstand a 2.5-foot operating drop, has a spill-resistant keyboard and shock-mounted 320GB hard drive, and can take more than 220 pounds of pressure on its lid and base. As always, though, 12.1-inch laptops with a built-in DVD drive and enough magnesium alloy armor to survive a fall from the conveyor belt don't come cheap: this bad boy will set you back no less than $2,449 when it hits stores next month.%Gallery-130285%
Itronix GD2000: a rugged handheld for your skydiving, bullet-dodging, building-scaling lifestyle
Taking a break from BASE jumping to shop for your next rugged computer? If you can't wait for Panasonic's Android Toughbook slate, consider the just-announced General Dynamics Itronix GD2000. The PR mavens promise this handheld performs like a full-sized notebook, thanks to an Intel Core Solo processor. Weighing in at 2.4 pounds, this beast can run for six hours on a lithium-ion battery; it also boasts a sun-friendly 5.6-inch, 1024 x 600 LED touchscreen. Fully integrated satellite GPS will help you reach your top secret rendezvous point, and WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity will keep your Twitter feed updated along the way. But how rugged is it really, you ask? The case is Ingress Protection (IP) 54 rated, the company answers, meaning your new purchase is protected from dust and splashing water. When you're ready to build your own – maybe upgrading the standard 64GB SATA drive and adding cellular networking – prices start at $4,900.
GammaTech's Durabook S15C is deceitfully rugged, unashamedly mobile
Shopped for a rugged laptop of late? If so, you've probably become overwhelmed with grief, likely due to the fact that 99.95 percent of them are both a) huge and b) unsightly. GammaTech's got a better idea: craft a rugged, shock-proof lappie that actually looks like every other 15.6-inch laptop on the market. Fancy that! The outfit's new Durabook S15C is its latest in a long line of field-tested machines, with this guy using a magnesium alloy case that's 20 times stronger than ABS plastic. We're told that it's tested to Mil-Standard 810G for drop and shock resistance, and there's a flexible HDD cable that'll absorb shock from drops. Moreover, an anti-shock mounting technology around the LCD helps to protect the screen from accidental damage, and if you're curious about the innards, here goes: there's the option for Core i5 / i7, a pair of dual-channel DDR3 RAM slots, an internal optical drive, a 15.6-inch Full HD display, three USB sockets, a serial port, gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and WiFi. Mum's the word on pricing, but considering that you'll need to dial 'em up to place an order, we highly doubt all that ruggedness will come cheap.
Panasonic Toughbook S9 claims to be the world's lightest 12.1-inch laptop with a DVD drive, we believe it
Panasonic's Toughbook line hasn't only been impressing in extreme durability lately, but also in extreme weight-loss. Joining the 3.2-pound Tougbook C1, is the newest 12.1-inch Toughbook S9, which weighs just three pounds. And yes, Panny's claiming it's the lightest 12-incher with an optical drive, and our quick research seems to prove that claim right. Even more impressive is the power that's packed into the featherweight chassis -- it's got a Core i5-520M processor, 2GB of RAM, and a shock-mounted 320GB hard drive. Thought that Panasonic gave up the durability for that weightage? You'd be wrong -- the magnesium alloy case can still withstand a 2.5-foot operating drop, meets all the Mil Spec 810-G drop procedures, has a spill-resistant keyboard, and can take more than 220 pounds of pressure on its lid and base. It does sound great for when someone drops it off the airport security belt, but that's until you hear about the physical beating it'll take on your bank account -- it'll retail for $2,499. Yeah, we wish we had better news to end on, but perhaps the press release and pictures below will turn that frown upside down.%Gallery-103417%
Algiz XRW: 10-inches of rugged, well-specced laptop nirvana
Come on tough guy, step right up. $20 says a roundhouse kick to the casing won't even scratch the bad boy you're peering at above. Well, unless you're rockin' a pair of Kenny Powers' K-Swiss Tubes. Asides aside, Sweden's own Handheld Group has just introduced its latest rugged offering, the 10.1-inch Algiz XRW, which is powered by Intel's 2GHz Atom Z550 and Windows 7 Ultimate. Other specs include a 64GB SSD, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a pair of USB 2.0 sockets, inbuilt Bluetooth / WiFi, GPS, 2 megapixel webcam and an optional (but totally necessary) Gobi 2000 WWAN module. The whole thing tips the scales at just 3.3 pounds, and that's including the IP65 / MIL-STD-810F rated enclosure, which is fully capable of rejecting dust, water, debris and mythical powers of persuasion. We're told that the internal battery can keep things humming for eight solid hours, and in case you're wondering, that 1366 x 768 resolution panel is of the daylight viewable variety. Mum's the word on pricing, but the first shipments should head out in December for those with a brutal winter ahead. %Gallery-102191%
Panasonic Toughbook 31 packs Core i3, i5 processors, tough inside and out
You know what we could always go for? A really good rugged laptop drop, and that's exactly what we got tonight at the launch of the Toughbook 31. Panasonic not only flung its newest 13.1-inch fully-rugged portable off the stage, but also off the deck of the USS Intrepid. Oh, and you guessed it, Windows XP still booted after the 20-foot drop onto the pavement. While that may seem like all there is to the MIL-STD-810G certified, magnesium alloy laptop, it has got the internal strength to match. It will be available with Intel Core i3 / i5 processor options, a choice of 250GB or 160GB shock-mounted hard drives and ATI discrete graphics...did we mention it also has a touchscreen that's viewable at wide angles, outdoors, and with night-vision goggles? We got to play around with the 8-pound system for a bit, and lived to tell that the thing is truly a beast of a machine. The ports can be sealed shut with a rubber coating -- seriously, it took quite some effort to get to the HDMI port -- and the screen can be locked with an aluminum latch when you want to carry it with the metal handle. But sadly, durability has it price -- the Core i3 version starts at $3,799 and should be available immediately. Not willing to shell out that sort of cash just to throw your laptop out a window? At least you have the pictures and video below. %Gallery-92822%
GammaTech debuts Durabook D14 E-Series with 1TB of storage
We got ourselves pretty well acquainted with one of GammaTech's Durabooks early last year, and the company is now finally back with another model that breaks a bit of new ground in the world of rugged laptops. While there may well be tougher laptops out there, GammaTech's new Durabook D14 E-Series is apparently the first fully rugged laptop to come equipped with 1TB of storage, which still has to count for something these days. Other than that addition, however, the laptop is fairly similar to the company's previous D14RM model, and packs a 14.1-inch screen, a Core 2 Duo processor "greater than 2GHz," up to 8GB of RAM, and your choice of RAID-0 or RAID-1 configuration options for those dual 500GB hard drives. No official word on a price just yet, but you can pretty safely bet on paying a premium over the $1,500 that the standard D14RM demands.
Stealth Computer kicks and shoves its Warrior 2000 rugged tablet out the door
Stealth Computer isn't exactly going for much subtlety with a rugged laptop line called "Warrior," but subtlety is hardly part of the equation when we're talking about a convertible tablet that's protected from repeated drops, shocks, dust, water, and, um, lint. Like most such ruggedized computers, however, all that comes at some expense to performance, although this new 13.3-inch Warrior NW-2000 model is certainly still more than adequate with a 1.06GHz low-voltage Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, and a built-in DVD burner, not to mention optional 3G, GPS, and all the usual security measures like a fingerprint scanner and various password protection options. Oh, and a starting price of $4,895.
Panasonic's Toughbook CF-30 gets gnawed by tiger, stomped by elephant and 187'd
In a whirring round of hurt that only a dear friend we know simply as Congmasta could deliver, a team of his irreverent cousins got ahold of Panasonic's Toughbook CF-30 to see just how far the envelope could be pushed. We already discovered that said machine was plenty tough for the average adventurer, but Forbes' tests prove that this bad boy is tailor made for maltreatment in the field. Somehow, the machine survived a round of Diet Coke to the keys, a few chomps from a white tiger, an elephant's playful attempt to extirpate it and even a single .22 slug through the lid. After the torment concluded, the CF-30 still managed to boot, and while that hole in the LCD was certainly a nuisance, it didn't stop the rest of the pixels from lighting up and trudging onward. Tap the read link for all the gory details, photographs and video, but seriously, don't try this at home. Or anywhere.[Image courtesy of Schim Schimmel/SchimmelSmith Publishing, thanks Vipul]
Itronix unveils lightweight, rugged XR-1 laptop
If any of you have plans to venture towards the Sahara desert or Arctic Circle, but can't bear the thought of making such treacherous journeys without a laptop in tow, Itronix has the goods to keep you connected while fending off the brutal elements. The latest laptop to make it out of Itronix's testing facilities alive is the XR-1, a lightweight and rugged notebook that doesn't sacrifice performance in order to operate in less-than-ideal conditions. The 6.8-pound beast sports a 12-inch XGA touchscreen display, 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 40GB SATA hard drive, 512MB of RAM, and a fancy glow-in-the-dark keyboard to boot. While specs this good aren't usually found in such rough and tough machines, the XR-1 also manages to rock WLAN, WWAN, Bluetooth, and built-in GPS antennas that can all be utilized concurrently to presumably track down a signal from any corner of the globe. Making sure that all this internal goodness remains functional, the company designed the notebook to meet "military standards" for drops, shocks, vibrations, and water / dust resistance, not to mention its ability to survive a "bleach-water" bath if exposed to toxins. For those headed towards a pole, the built-in hard drive / display heaters warm up your fragile components before attempting to boot in sub-zero temperatures (and probably double as a halfway decent space heater, too). While we're impressed with the amount of power found beneath the plates of armor, er, casing, the (practically) everything-resistant XR-1 demands a premium for its abilities, and we'd humbly suggest changing your vacation spot unless the $4,330 (and way up) pricetag doesn't deliver a shock of its own.
