Reviews
July 2007 • Vol.5 Issue 7
Page(s) 55-58 in print issue

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Rugged Notebooks
Is Your Computer Tough Enough?

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It’s time to face the fact that life on the road is just as hard on your equipment as it is on you. After a particularly long and bruising field trip, you can recharge your mind and body with a weekend spa getaway, but your notebook isn’t as fortunate. A careless waiter or sadistic airport baggage inspector can easily put your notebook out of commission permanently. It doesn’t matter if someone accidentally drops your notebook, knocks it off a desk, or spills a drink on it, the result is all too often the same: a dead notebook.

Although a cracked, stained, or mutilated notebook can be a badge of honor among a certain traveling crowd, there’s a better way: laptops designed to stand up to the rigors of even the clumsiest among us. Called rugged systems, the military, police, utility workers, and road warriors looking for an extra edge use these types of computers every day. Manufacturers have replaced just about every major part of these rugged systems with tougher, or reinforced, or bolstered, or cushioned versions. For instance, magnesium-aluminum hard bodies replace the easy-to-break plastic cases. And solid internal frames and shock-absorbing rubber protects the fragile hard drives and displays. Even the keyboards and ports are sealed to protect against moisture, dust, and the occasional spilled beverage.

Along with its arcane specifications for everything from toilet paper to pencils, the military has rigorous requirements for rugged computers. Called MIL-STD-810F, it’s the military’s standard for rugged computers. The requirements detail a battery of torture tests that includes drops, shakes, and spills. To put it mildly, the regimen can destroy all but the strongest notebooks. We put this notion of an elite computer to the test with three of the latest and toughest notebooks available from General Dynamics’ Itronix division, Panasonic, and Rugged Notebooks. In addition, Dell has recently started selling a rugged Latitude ATG, which we’ll review in a future issue, and Motorola will introduce a pair of rugged notebooks in the coming months.

As usual, we inspected, weighed, measured, and ran benchmarks on each unit. Although MobileMark 2005 uses a variety of applications to gauge how each system will perform typical tasks on the road and in the office, PCMark05 tests more basic operations such as how fast the hard drive and memory operate. Together, the benchmarks give a good indication of a system’s overall performance potential.

We spent just as much time trying to damage each computer. That’s right, in what turned out to be a notebook slugfest, we dropped each system from different heights and sprayed them with water (see the “Rugged Testing For Rugged Notebooks” sidebar for more details on our testing techniques). The payoff is more than a macho appearance, because the reduced downtime can cut the costs of using a notebook by as much as $4,000 a year, according to a report by market analysis firm Venture Development Corporation. This more than makes up for the $2,000 price premium the notebooks carry.

Heavy Metal

All the additional metal, padding, and reinforcement can make even the lightest notebooks larger and heavier than their wimpier counterparts. There is an alternative: semi-rugged systems that don’t measure up to military specifications but are lighter, less expensive, and, in many cases, more than tough enough. The Panasonic Toughbook CF-74 (aka Toughbook 74) is one such system because it outperformed the rest of our test systems and still withstood our punishment.

Without a doubt, each system took a beating and came back for more. In fact, the next time you drop a rugged notebook, you should worry more about the floor breaking rather than the computer.

General Dynamics Itronix GoBook XR-1
$5,220 · www.gd-itronix.com

Pros: Fully rugged design, GPS, touchscreen, handle, and slot-loading CD drive

In addition to the submarines, tanks, and other tools of modern warfare that General Dynamics produces, its Itronix division makes and sells rugged notebooks. The fully rugged Itronix GoBook XR-1 packs a built-in GPS receiver, fingerprint reader, and glow-in-the-dark keyboard, but has trouble keeping up on performance and battery life.

With its rounded corners and smooth, gray magnesium-aluminum case, the XR-1 is every bit as smooth and shapely as a new Hummer, and rather than screaming brute strength, the XR-1 whispers quiet sophistication. More than another pretty face, the XR-1 has a brawny internal frame that securely holds the system’s shock-mounted display, hard drive, and optical drive. Even though its 12.1-inch display is the smallest display of the bunch, the XR-1 tips the scale at 7.9 pounds. (The computer’s weight varies according to what equipment you include with your order.) With its AC adapter and power cord, the XR-1 has a travel weight of 9.2 pounds; unscrewing the plastic handle cuts out about a pound. Even though the system has an average weight, it is the thickest of the three systems we reviewed, measuring 2.3 x 11.6 x 11.5 inches (HxWxD).

The XR-1 is a generation behind some systems with its 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor, which makes it less powerful than the Toughbook CF-74 and Rugged Notebooks Rough Rider Max Duo we review later. Our XR-1 test system came equipped with an 80GB 5,400rpm hard drive and 2GB of RAM (which you can increase to 4GB). The XR-1 has a convenient slot-loading CD-RW drive that does away with the annoying and fragile pop-out tray. Every port is internally sealed, and all but the FireWire outlet have dust covers. The XR-1’s graphics capabilities come from its ATI Mobility Radeon graphics X300 accelerator that has 128MB of memory.

Like the CF-74, the XR-1 has a touchscreen and a place to stash the stylus. However, we think the XR-1’s square stylus is more awkward to write with than the CF-74’s round stylus. The system comes with a 56Kbps wired modem, gigabit wired LAN, and Wi-Fi, and you can order a variety of cell network radios to accompany your computer.

The XR-1 has a number of features you’ll want to check out. If circumstances require you to work in dark or dim environments, you will like the XR-1’s glow-in-the-dark keyboard. (A backlit keyboard is optional.) This rugged system also stands out with its built-in GPS receiver that displays your position about one minute after you turn it on and constantly updates your position, direction, and speed. Unless you’re well-versed in longitude and latitude, you’ll have to add your own maps. The XR-1 is also ideal for users concerned with security because it has a combination fingerprint scanner and smart card reader.

When we turned on our XR-1 test system, we received an annoyingly loud blast of air, which was the result of the fan testing itself. This didn’t last long as the system quickly settled down into a silent routine. Even with a fan, the XR-1 has a pronounced hot spot on the left side of the wrist rest. Despite having a full complement of system memory, our test system had trouble keeping up with a 159 on our MobileMark 2005 benchmark, but it made up for it with a class-leading 3144 result on our PCMark05 test. The XR-1 ran for an acceptable 3:15 (hours:minutes) before our battery ran down; it has the shortest battery life of the systems we tested. And when we tested its ruggedness, the XR-1’s magnesium case and innards survived our drops and dousings without mishap.

Although some models start at $4,195, our test system had a $5,220 price tag because of the GPS and extra memory, making it the priciest of the bunch we looked at.

Panasonic Toughbook CF-74
$3,936 · www.toughbook.com

Pros: Excellent performance and battery life, touchscreen, handle, and a three-year warranty

Although it wasn’t the first maker of rugged notebooks, Panasonic popularized the idea of a magnesium-clad computer and currently leads the market in sales. Although Panasonic’s fully ruggedized Toughbook 19 and Toughbook 30 get most of the attention, the semi-rugged Toughbook CF-74 system can handle daily abuse from workers. The notebook is a top performer and runs for an astounding seven hours between charges.

With a textured silver and black magnesium-aluminum case, the CF-74 looks ready for World War III with its sturdy internal frame and shock-mounted display, hard drive, and optical drive. The system's pull-out handle is great for grab-and-go maneuvers, but reaching the display latch can be awkward. Although the base and LCD cover are made of magnesium aluminum, the screen’s bezel and keyboard area are made of a less-sturdy plastic.

The CF-74 measures 1.7 x 12 x 11.6 inches and weighs 6 pounds. This notebook is thinner and lighter than the GoBook XR-1, which has a smaller display. Add in the 20-ounce AC adapter and you have a 7.3-pound travel buddy. On the inside is a reasonably up-to-date system built around Intel’s Core 2 Duo processor and 945GM graphics that can tap into 128MB of system memory. Our test system came with the minimum 512MB of RAM, but it can hold up to 4GB. On top of the 80GB 5,400rpm hard drive and DVD multi-drive, the CF-74 has a 13.3-inch touchscreen and a handy place below on each side of the notebook to stow a stylus.

Like other Toughbooks, the CF-74 gives you a 56Kbps modem, Wi-Fi, gigabit wired networking, and a cell network radio that can use Sprint’s EVDO (Evolution Data Optimized) network. The connections let you download data at a rate of about 800Kbps and upload data at 100Kbps in urban areas, less when you’re off the beaten track.

Around the edge of the CF-74 are doors that protect most ports and components from damage, although the headphone/microphone jack, power plug, and optical drive are open to the elements. With just about every port you could want and a variety of stationary and mobile docking stations available, the CF-74 is versatile. The system’s 19.2mm-wide keys have a sturdy feel, although we had trouble adjusting to its undersized Spacebar. Unfortunately, the CF-74 lacks the XR-1’s glow-in-the-dark keyboard, fingerprint scanner, and GPS radio, all of which are available on the fully rugged models.

It all adds up to an exceptional performer with scores of 236 and 2686, respectively, on our MobileMark 2005 and PCMark05 benchmarks. This puts the CF-74 at the head of the rugged class on using key applications on the road. For those who don’t often see AC outlets, it ran for upwards of seven hours between charges, about twice as long as the others. Still, it survived the drop tests with only a cosmetic scratch on the hinge cover. Although the CF-74 “shook off” the water spray like a junkyard dog, some brown liquid seeped out of the system, which appeared to be the result of an earlier coffee spill. The CF-74 may not be the strongest notebook on the block, but at less than $4,000, it is the bargain of the rugged market.

Rugged Notebooks Rough Rider Max Duo
$4,700 · www.ruggednotebooks.com

Pros: A bright 15-inch display, covers for every port or opening, and corner bumpers

The Rough Rider Max Duo from Rugged Notebooks makes a virtue of size by building a rugged notebook around a superb 15-inch display. Easily the big boy of this market, the Rough Rider Max Duo delivers an acceptable balance between performance and battery life.

If ever a notebook looked the rugged part, the black and gray Rough Rider Max Duo is it. Measuring 1.8 x 13.3 x 12.2 inches and weighing 10 pounds, you pay for every extra inch of display space. With the added advantage of corner bumpers, this machine is protected against anything short of nuclear annihilation. Like the other systems we tested, however, the Rough Rider Max Duo uses a large AC adapter and has an onerous travel weight of 10.9 pounds, although you can drop 5 ounces by removing the carry handle.

The Rough Rider Max Duo is clad in magnesium aluminum all around, and soft rubber covers keep dust, water, and other elements out of every possible opening. (The Rough Rider Max Duo is the only system to have this feature.) Like the XR-1, the Rough Rider Max Duo gets by with an older 1.6GHz Core Duo processor that’s a generation behind the Toughbook’s processor, but its 80GB hard drive is on a par with that of the other systems. As is the case with the CF-74, the 512MB of memory the Rough Rider Max Duo carries is a bit tight with the 945GM graphics capable of taking as much as 128MB of system memory; the system can hold up to 2GB of memory.

Like the XR-1, the Rough Rider Max Duo makes do with a CD-RW optical drive, although the drive is buried so deep in the case that some users may have trouble removing the disc. The center of attention for this bad boy is its 15-inch transflective display, which provides 30% more viewing space compared to the GoBook XR-1’s 12.1-inch display and is the best of the bunch in direct sunlight. Rugged Notebooks also sells a Rough Rider Max Duo system with a 14.1-inch display.

Our Rough Rider Max Duo test system didn’t come with a cell data card or a GPS system like the models we tested from the other two companies, but you can add both features for a price. The Rough Rider Max Duo does have all the expected ports, plus a parallel port. With 19.6mm keys that have a generous 2.4mm of depth, typing is a snap, although the touchpad’s actuation buttons are stiff and require much effort to use.

Despite its older technology, the Rough Rider Max Duo scored a 196 and 2665, respectively, on our MobileMark 2005 and PCMark05 benchmarks and was able to run for 4:35 (hours:minutes) on a charge. This puts the Rough Rider Max Duo roughly between the GoBook and Toughbook when it comes to battery life.

Our test unit survived each insult and didn’t miss a beat; however, it did shut down after one of the drop tests. The computer started up without a problem and survived the water torture test. The big snag, however, is the price; at $4,700, the Rough Rider Max Duo is for the cost-is-no-object crowd with big arm muscles.

Iron Man

In the final analysis, each of these hard-body notebooks will help people who can’t afford any downtime due to breakage and mishap. When it comes to performance and battery life, these notebooks give up nothing. In fact, the rugged systems we looked at have the guts to stand up to daily abuse and keep on running when lesser systems fail and fall apart. The CF-74, GoBook XR-1, and Max Duo may not be indestructible, but they’re the closest thing to being unbreakable that computers get.

by Brian Nadel