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.

Copyright 2005 Richard Keir

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.

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Everyday, there are a lot of new born technologies for everything, from television sets, mobile phones, and cars and even to laptops. And since it is a fast growing market, there are a lot to choose from that makes the task none the less easier.

On the other hand, because of consumer need and the fast growth of the said market the competition has also helped with the slashing down of prices. Still, it is very difficult to choose cheap laptop brands that also give us the best performance that we need.

You might also take note that though the price may be what you aimed for, the specs of the laptop is not what you need at all. It may be less than what you are looking for. This then comes to mind, when buying cheap laptop brands, how does price equal to performance?

Commonly, the more enhanced the laptop is, the more expensive they are. Luckily, there are a lot of convenient tips that can be done over the internet in helping you find that cheap laptop brand.

First, you need to shop around, look for websites that help you find that certain brand you are looking for, who knows you might find other brands that suit the laptop requirements that you need.

Second, you need to compare, there are websites out there that help you compare from one laptop to another.

Thirdly, read reviews, comments and ratings. This will truly help you decide since these reviews only mean that the users have indeed tested the unit and can give you sound advice, then helping you narrow down your choices.

Lastly, though the internet may indeed be easiest place to shop, there are also a lot of computer stores that offer and sell cheap laptop brands. Some companies even give out discount coupons on certain laptop brands and models to help you purchase a laptop at the best possible price.

Here are some cheap laptop brands out in the market presently, but since all of us know how fast technology updates these days, these brands may also change in price from day to day. So, who knows?

• Apple 13.3″ MacBook Pro Notebook
• Dell Vostro A90 Netbook – Customizable
• Sony VAIO VGN-NW270F/S Notebook
• Acer Aspire One AOD250-1116 Netbook
• Apple MacBook Notebook
• HP (Hewlett-Packard) Pavilion dv4-1540us Notebook
• Apple 12.1″ iBook G3 Notebook
• HP (Hewlett-Packard) G71-340US Notebook
• Toshiba mini NB205-N210 Netbook
• Asus Eee PC 1005HA Seashell Netbook

Take note, that these are not necessarily the top ten cheapest laptop brands out in the market. But at least, I have given you an idea on which brands offer lower prices. Again, you don’t really need to give up the optimization of your laptop’s performance over your budget. There are lots of how to’s in order for you to get the laptop you need with prices your wallet can afford.

Ian Wright can help you find cheap laptop brands if you visit his cheap laptop companies.

Article Source:

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ian_E._Wright

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