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Durable, Shockproof Computing?
trefoil asks: "My friend's father is a farmer who has to tend to his huge wheat fields for most of the day. He is looking for an option to have a full computer system on his tractor, however it bumps and jostles around a lot. He was curious as to what type of options besides pda's does he have, for something that can 'take a beating and keep on ticking'. Specifically what we're looking for is something shockproof, hopefully not to expensive, the less "moving parts" the better. Any ideas out there?" If such a solution does not exist that's exact to the one described here, how close can today's market get to a sturdy computing solution that could handle life on the road...or farm?
We don't use laptops per say in the patrol car - there is a touch screen bolted to the dash (in the middle over the a/c vents) and the CPU is bolted inside the glove box. The keyboard is velcroed to the floor unless in use. These systems are called "data911" or at least that's all I can see stamped on the case. Other departments (Brevard County Sheriff) in the county do use laptops on mounting stands but they are ruggedized laptops that seem to cost more and be older technology. You can find ads for these systems in marine publications or police/fire catalogs. Personally I like the method we use because the laptop stand tends get in the way of anyone in the passenger seat (its hard enough to get in and out of the car with the collection of stuff on the belt). With the screen right in the middle of the dash its easy to glance at when your at a stop light or on a call without having to turn sideways.