Rugged Notebooks - Chief, I swear I only dropped it a little bit!

Author: Ron Whitney
Source: EMS Pro Magazine 
Original: Download Original PDF 

Have you ever dropped your cell phone? Your laptop? Have you ever stood, in complete and total shock, while your new tablet computer slipped so easily from your grasp, landing in a pool of blood or other liquid? If you have, then no doubt the very next thought that went through your head was, "How am I going to explain this to the Boss?"

There are a few "givens" in the portable computer world. For starters, these devices were never really designed to last forever. Nor could anyone expect the standards of the technology to remain unchanged. These are very delicate instruments, and you had better handle them with care. Too much shake, rattle and roll and you can very easily be staring at the "Blue Screen of Death". Worse yet, you could be standing in front of your supervisor thinking of a clever explanation of how you just wasted three thousand dollars of your unit's annual budget.

Thankfully, some things do change. Realizing the EMS industry was going through portable computers faster than Mark Ingram through Auburn's defensive line, Rugged Notebooks set about designing a line of products that could stand up to the abuse so common in the EMS world. And they are not afraid to prove it.

Product demonstrations are usually pretty boring affairs. You can reasonably expect to have the folks performing the demonstration do their level best to present their product in the best possible light. It is also not unexpected for the particular demonstration to have been practiced like a fine tuned ballet. Not so at the 2010 EMS Expo Rugged Notebooks demo. Headlining the demo was Director of Sales John Redgrave. It did not take very long to discover that Mr. Redgrave was about to put his premier product line through what I would consider, cruel and unusual punishment. When asked, just prior to the start of the demo, "What makes your products different?" John replies, "Just hang on a few minutes, I guarantee you'll be impressed."

Whenever a crowd begins to form in the aisle of a trade show it usually means folks are captivated by something very interesting, this was no exception. Without much fanfare, John began the demonstration with a brief explanation of the product line, and quite quickly got down to business.

Holding the demo laptop John took a few strides stage right, telling his audience that he was about to do some things to this laptop that may seem a bit out of the ordinary. About fifteen feet later, John turned, did his best "bowling for dollars" backswing, and sent the aforementioned laptop tumbling end over end across the width of the display area. Of course the crowd reacted with the expected gasps and usual remarks of "Are you crazy? John simply walked over to the laptop, picked it up, and held it up proudly to show everyone it was working perfectly.

Continuing the demo, John asked for a member of the audience to assist with the next phase. I happily volunteered EMS Pro Magazine's National Sales Director, Jason Kerstiens. As you can see from the accompanying photo, the next phase was to demonstrate that this very same laptop could withstand being fully submersed in a tank of water. No tricks, no slight of hand, Jason simply did as he was instructed and dunked the computer, fully, into the tank. Again, it survived fully operational. It was at this point where I recalled leaving my cell phone out in the rain a few years back, ruined.

The final stage of the demonstration, and just as dramatic, was when John allowed another audience member to spew simulated blood all over the screen and casing of the laptop. This really caught the attention of everyone standing around. Seemingly every one knew well the consequences when patient goo penetrates the hidden corners and openings of any kind of electronic or diagnostic equipment. It isn't pretty. Predictably enough, the laptop again stood up very well to the challenge. Cleanup was quick, and painless.

It isn't often you get to witness a product being tumbled across the floor, subjected to a quick version of Houdini's water torture, and then covered with simulated blood. It also is not very often that you would expect a product to withstand such treatment. The Rugged Notebooks product line passed the test, proof positive.