Battery > Talking Rugged Notebook

Talking Rugged Notebook

by: Richard Keir

A rugged notebook offers mobile professionals the ability to work in any environment and in any location. Versatile and powerful, rugged notebook computers are designed specifically for both in-plant and outdoor industrial (and military) applications. Built to handle the toughest environments, fully ruggedized notebooks should have IP54 environmental protection, meet MIL-STD 810F and have heavy duty - generally magnesium alloy - cases. Rugged notebook computers enable professionals to work smoothly in adverse environments and are adequately equipped to face almost any tough situation with ease. Naturally, these rugged notebook computers are heavier than non-rugged models but offer substantially more protection than standard laptops. RuggedNotebooks.com offer a variety of semi-rugged and rugged notebooks, wireless tablets and even rugged PDAs in their Recon series. They also offer custom solutions.

Arguably the most rugged and heavy-duty notebook available is the Rough Rider III from www.RuggedNotebooks.com.
Meeting IEC and MIL-STD 810F, temperature, humidity, altitude, shock, vibration and drop standards, the case also conforms to IEC 529 and Ingress IP 54 requirements. It has extensive configuration options and a second bay available with internal PCI connector that supports a wide variety of options including two additional COM ports (RS232, RS422, or RS 485), two additional PCMCIA slots, a SCSI-2 port, DGPS or wireless modules, an auxiliary battery, or fixed floppy drive. It can be
configured with 1.4 or 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium M processor, up to 2GB of DDR RAM, a 60GB HDD, and up to a 14.1 inch screen.
It also provides extended wireless communications with 802.11b Wi-Fi, GSM/GPRS and DataTAC connectivity. As you might expect, all this ruggedness comes with a penalty and with the primary battery installed, the Rough Rider III rugged notebook weighs 12.7 pounds, definitely not a light-weight.

RuggedNotebooks.com offers a variety of semi-rugged and rugged notebooks, wireless tablets and even rugged PDAs in their Recon series. They also offer custom solutions. As one of the premier providers of notebook computers that meet and exceed military (810F and 461E) and industry standards (IP54), anyone interested in a high quality semi- or rugged notebook should make it a point to check them out.

Sterling Computer Sales in Landenberg, PA, offers a series of rugged notebooks meeting MIL STD 810E (which primarily involves small drops and rough transport). Their RB1500 has a rubber mounted HDD, spill-proof keyboard and magnesium alloy case. It comes with a 15.1 inch TFT boasting sXGA+ resolution (1400X1050) and a Pentium 4 Mobile 1.6Ghz processor. You can stuff it with up to 2GB of DDR ram and a 100GB HD. For communications this rugged notebook includes modem, Ethernet and 802.11b/g Wireless. This might be better considered a semi-rugged, but the price with default options starts at only $1,595.

The Durabook N15RI is a rugged notebook that has a magnesium alloy top and bottom case - which is 20 times stronger than plastic. This rugged notebook has anti-shock mounting and spill-resistant keyboard, scroll buttons and touch-pad. While it meets some (modified) 810F military specifications for ruggedness it doesn't appear to be IP54 compliant and is probably best viewed as a more rugged than usual semi-rugged notebook.
It still provides the mobile professional with a tough, durable notebook at a more reasonable price than a fully rugged notebook.

HP also has a rugged notebook series - the HP nr3610 Rugged Notebook.
This model meets MIL STD for ruggedness in the areas of ESD (Electrostatic Discharge), low pressure, humidity, sealing, temperature and vibration - and the Ingress IP-54 Protection rating for dust and water.
However, it is very pricey for a notebook with a 12.1 LCD (over $4000) and nearly impossible to find currently.

Another rugged notebook, offering the choice of 14.1" and 15" Tflex displays - which work very well both outdoors and indoors, is the Argonaut Ranger. The hard drive and LCD are both shock mounted and the case is constructed of magnesium alloy. Both models of this rugged notebook - Argonaut Ranger - meet military specifications for ruggedness. The keyboard is spill-proof and the circuitry of this rugged notebook makes use of anti-corrosive technology for extra protection. Designed particularly for marine use the TFlex display works extremely well under any lighting conditions - from full darkness to direct sunlight.

Panasonic has its ToughBook line of semi-rugged and rugged notebook computers which are also worth looking into.
The semi-rugged notebooks have a variety of features from the T2 with touchscreen weighing in at only 2.7 pounds to the Toughbook 51, available with a 2GHz Intel Pentium M 760, a shock-mounted 80 GB HDD and up to 2 GB of DDR2 SDRAM,
with a 15 inch TFT Active Matrix Color LCD and a standard Combo Drive of a DVD multi-drive, weighing in at about 6.7 pounds. Base pricing for the T51 seems to start around $1600.

The Panasonic Toughbook-29 is a fully rugged notebook tested to MIL STD 810F. The vibration and drop-shock resistant design has Intel Centrino Mobile Tech and integrated 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN. It has a 13.3 inch outdoor-readable TFT Active Matrix Color LCD (optional touchscreen), a shock-mounted removable HDD in a stainless steel case, sealed port and connector covers and a full magnesium alloy case with handle. With battery and floppy drive it weighs 7.9 pounds. Base version pricing seems to be around $3500 currently.

One thing you need to be aware of about rugged notebooks - particularly full MIL-STD ruggedized models - they can be a little hard to find at your local computer store - or even on some of the big internet sites.
The substantial added costs of manufacture and testing - and sometimes, the performance compromises that are made, make them a questionable option for the usual notebook user.
If you will be working under harsh conditions, then they may be your only rational choice.
However, for a user who will simply be doing a lot of traveling, day in and day out, and wants a notebook computer that can better tolerate the inevitable shocks and bumps, a semi-rugged notebook could be a much more affordable option, providing reasonable protection and better performance at a lower price.

About The Author

Richard Keir, a computer professional and writer, has a strong interest in hardware as well as software. For more about all kinds of notebook computers and accessories, visit Completely Notebooks at http://Completely-Notebooks.net.

Understanding the Rover Electrical System

Understanding the Rover Electrical System

by: Carol Mitchel

Electricity has been something that everybody has been for as long as we could remember. Electricity has been assisting people with their daily activities and word as well as in their times of recreation and play. And if truth be told, the automotive industry also utilizes electricity so as to power their vehicles.

By stepping back into the past, the automotive industry used electricity to function only as the way to ignite the fuel found inside the engine. Come the late 1920s, the electric started then replaced the hand crank. The electric headlights overpowered and made obsolete the acetylene lamps. And the squeak of the hand-squeezed air horn has been defeated by the loud braying of the modern automobile?s electric horn. At present, an automobile requires an elaborate electrical system for its circuits so as to produce, store, and distribute all of the electricity that it needs...

Understanding the Rover Electrical System

Battery > Understanding the Rover Electrical System

Driving In The Green - Golf Cart Tips

Driving In The Green - Golf Cart Tips

by: Edwin Shackleford

When playing golf, it is quite difficult to carry a bag with the different clubs even with the company of a caddy. This is because the bag weighs a lot and of course, be it 18 or 36 holes, is a long walk. It is a good thing that there are golf carts to get from one hole to another which will save the person time and energy especially if one is playing for a lot of money in a golf tournament.

The first golf car was launched in 1962 and since then has made some modifications. The traditional golf car is a battery powered 2- seater that comes with a hood and has a small baggage compartment for the golf bag in the back.

If one is interested in getting one, here are a few things that a person must know;

1. Golf cars may not be as expensive as the real car but one still has to shell out some money to get a unit. Since such models are not usually sold in dealer lots like regular...

Driving In The Green - Golf Cart Tips

Battery > Driving In The Green - Golf Cart Tips

iPod Wireless Speakers and Headphones

iPod Wireless Speakers and Headphones

by: Dale Ewans

The iPod seems to have induced a certain trend in the consumer electronics industry as many companies on the market rushed to manufacture accessories for the little device that allows you to take music with you wherever you go. Speakers and headphones were among the first choices as iPod accessories for consumer electronics companies. The next step was wireless speakers and headphones to allow more freedom of movement. We'll try to discuss the pros and cons of wireless peripherals for the iPod as well as the models that each wireless component works with.

Logitech

Logitech began marketing in 2005 a wireless headphone unit that works with any model of iPod that has a dock connector on the base. This feature is standard on all new models and is available on older models as well. The headphones use Bluetooth technology to connect to the iPod through an adapter that transmits the signal...

iPod Wireless Speakers and Headphones

Battery > iPod Wireless Speakers and Headphones

iPod Wireless Speakers and Headphones

iPod Wireless Speakers and Headphones

by: Dale Ewans

Logitech

iPod Wireless Speakers and Headphones

Battery > iPod Wireless Speakers and Headphones