A lot of manufacturers have notebook computers that they consider ruggedized in some form or another, but it's not always clear just how much they can take. Panasonic gave Geek.com access to their testing facilities in order to see some of what their notebooks go through. Some tests include temperature shock, drop testing (from various angles), a 360-degree shower with pressurized water, and more. In addition to describing parts of the test process they got some video of a Toughbook 30 standing up to a few drops and a lot of water.
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Member since:
2008-04-15
Give it to an electronics tech on the field and you'll see just how tough those things can be.
Tough is an understatement really, short of just pouring petrol on it and lighting it up i was amazed how much punishment they can take.
The workshop had a bet on that we could drive over it and it would still work. unfortunately the owner (who bought them) didn't want to risk it.
Member since:
2006-05-19
Member since:
2007-09-06
A friend lucked into a good deal on two CF25s and I paid half. The first time you read your email in the rain, your hooked. The introduction to friends was to start it booting or defraging then toss it spinning onto the ground and jump on it a few times. The look on people's faces is priceless.
The cf27 I treat much better and other than the battery, it keeps on chugging.
Member since:
2005-07-06
Member since:2005-06-30
"Are they military certified."
Yes, we used Toughbooks extensively in Iraq earlier this year. They started replacing Thinkpads a few years ago, about the time that the buggy T4x line came out with the loose GPU problem, where solder connections would break under normal use causing spontaneous freezing and reboots. These things can withstand anything...I've seen them slammed against walls, dropped, full of sand, and they still run fine. I think all the Toughbooks come with a touchscreen, which was very practical for the software we were using. We found a CF-25 that we ran Ubuntu on for awhile, but the touchscreen didn't work. Driver support from Toshiba sucks though; I had a CF-73 whose XP install went apeshit, and it took days navigating through a Japanese website to find drivers. The Thinkpads are still used, just in controlled (indoor) environments. As a side note, some of the hardware being used in Humvees is running a custom version of RedHat, with fvwm95 as the window manager.
Member since:2005-07-07
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2003/tc20030411_8...
Quoting the relevant bits:
I guess it's safe to say, the tough books are really tough
Member since:2007-09-06
The semi-rugged business line is built to lower specs than the fully rugged lines which are certified with whichever mil### it is. The details of the mil standard are either linked from the website or easy to find.
It was a while back now but I believe it specifies time in rain, size of vehicle that can run over it, sand and dust, drops from chest height. I think the cf25 is even rated to stop a 9mm though the laptop may not survive and I wouldn't want to have reason to test it myself.
Member since:
2007-03-24
Member since:
2005-12-18