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Panasonic ToughBook Testing Facility Tour

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the bruised-but-not-beaten dept.

An anonymous reader writes "ToughBooks are considered by some to be the most resilient of all notebooks. So how does Panasonic ensure that their line of indestructible portables are just that? In a recent tour of the Kobe plant in Japan it was discovered that 1000's of ToughBooks are destroyed each year in pursuit of the most rugged systems. Soaking, electric shock, heating and electromagnetic radiation are among the many methods of torture used."

146 comments

  1. Sounds like fun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    They have any openings for QA Testers?

  2. Indeed by mfh · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... and now Slashdotting.

    --
    The dangers of knowledge trigger emotional distress in human beings.
    1. Re:Indeed by Bin+Naden · · Score: 1

      We'll see if they run linux on those tough books. Of course this assumes that the whole web site is run on a tough book.

      --
      There should be a "-1:Groupthink"
  3. How to REALLY test a notebook by operagost · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't see a curious four-year-old being employed in any of their tests. I'd like to see how one of these stands up to crayons and peanut butter sandwiches.

    --

    Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    1. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by Teh+MegaHurtz · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't see a curious four-year-old being employed in any of their tests. I'd like to see how one of these stands up to crayons and peanut butter sandwiches. Also known as the curious CEO test
    2. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by Chicken04GTO · · Score: 1

      Or trying to toast poptarts in the CD "burner" LOL

    3. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by prichardson · · Score: 1

      While that's certainly important for some home computers, that's not exactly the market Toughbooks are going for. These laptops are for places where they'll be dropped, get really dusty, and shaken. There are 'childproof' computers out there that can be washed to remove sticky things, but those would be largely useless in other environments.

      It's about the right tool for the job, to use an aphorism.

      --
      Help I'm a rock.
    4. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by Aqua_boy17 · · Score: 4, Funny

      We support both Toughbooks and Lifebooks here. What they really need is a roomfull of Nurses and their 4 year old kids. We had one returned because the nurse couldn't connect to the network. Upon inspection, I found a yellow gummi bear firmly pressed into the RJ45 connector. It's pretty hard to configure the DNS settings of a yellow gummi bear. Maybe it's easier with the red ones?

      Seriously though, we're moving back to Fujitsu's over the Panasonics. The Toughbooks (at least the T2's we have) haven't proved to be all that tough and their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Fujitsu had problems in that department as well, but lately has made strides in the right direction. We need the touchscreens for this application (our RN's complete tons of medical assessments using checkboxes) so that kind of narrows our choices.

      --
      What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
    5. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1
      My mother has a Toughbook (provided by her job). Thus far, she has not let me drop it on the floor. I consider this to be seriously lacking in faith; my ThinkPad (R31) fell four feet onto a hard floor in the middle of a big compile job (i.e. lots of disk activity), and just paused for a second, as if to say 'yeah, what?' before continuing. I would expect a Toughbook to be even more resilient, but thus far no one who owns one has allowed me to test this.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    6. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by jeremymiles · · Score: 1
      Well, I bought (second hand, fairly battered) toughbook for our 4 year old.

      It lasted about 4 days, before the spacebar broke. Luckily, they don't use the space bar to either type randomly, or play games on http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/.

      --
      GENERATION 26: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation.
    7. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by gardyloo · · Score: 1

      There are 'childproof' computers out there that can be washed to remove sticky things, but those would be largely useless in other environments.

            Video editing in the adult-film industry?

    8. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by Achromatic1978 · · Score: 1

      My father has one of the fully-rugged Toughbooks, and has not yet dropped it, neither intentionally or accidentally. Quite an impressive machine, though seriously fucking ugly (though aesthetics are expected to be rather low on the priority table in such a thing).

    9. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by speculatrix · · Score: 1

      they should just try posting it, with a big sticker on it saying "fragile"... seems to work pretty well in the UK. I think that's how nuclear fission has been done on the cheap!

    10. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by Snoopy77 · · Score: 2, Funny

      I'd mod you informative instead of funny.

      My CEO went through two toughbooks in three years and he doesn't even take it onto industrial sites. He can kill any electrical device by simply using it as normal. We've given up on spending twice as much for these toughbooks. We just make sure we've got a good three year warranty these days and get him a normal notebook.

      --
      "She's a West Texas girl, just like me" - G.W Bush Iraqis
    11. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ouch. Sounds like an electrical problem in your CEO's room.

    12. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by NeilTheStupidHead · · Score: 1

      I have an eight year old Toughbook that I still use (it's sitting beside my brand new desktop and laptop right now). I used to bring it to school and I now take it with me when I go to sea (Navy). It had more than lived up to it's reputation. I've dropped it (unintentionally) down a flight of stairs and I can't count the number of times I've spilled coffee on it or it's fallen off a desk as the ship rolls (I've since glued some anti-skid pads to the bottom). It looks like a pile of crap (think metal briefcase, handle included) and it's slower than dirt (P133) but I can get online, read my email and do my word processing. After eight years, it's cash value is practically zero, so it'll never get stolen and in a pinch, I can use it to bludgeon someone before going back to reading /.

      --
      Lose: misplace or fail || Loose: not bound together
    13. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I disagree with the Toughbook lovers - A large insurance company I am familiar with purchased 5-figure quantities of units over the years, and had huge breakage rates, almost 4x higher than Panasonic claimed (we're talking high-80% range here) - they were churning through so much hardware, they eventually dropped Panasonic in favor of Itronix, a far more rugged manufacturer. While the Itronix machines were built like trucks, and even better than the Panasonics, they still had double the breakage rate that Itronix claimed. Ultimately exhausted and bleeding dollars on machines, they did a cost-benefit-analysis and determined it was cheaper to send out cheap HPs and Dells and expect to replace them, than to use the expensive machines that broke anyway.

    14. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by RealGrouchy · · Score: 1

      My CEO went through two toughbooks in three years and he doesn't even take it onto industrial sites.
      Probably a software problem:

      Software crashes, angry user whacks the computer.

      - RG>
      --
      Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
    15. Re:How to REALLY test a notebook by jd_esguerra · · Score: 1

      That's how I killed my last laptop. I have found that I have very little patience with technology on some days. It was one of those days, and I pounded my keyboard a little too hard. The laptop blue screened, and never booted again. (It lasted about 3 years, and was flaking out...which is probably why I smacked it. I guess I helped it along.)

      Now I use an external keyboard when I can.

  4. predictable response by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We must rally together to save the poor torchered laptops!

    1. Re:predictable response by richdun · · Score: 1

      And, while we're at it, use their word processors to check our spelling!

  5. not bright enough by cpearson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Even with toughbooks the single biggest problem with portable computers is screen brightness. In direct sunlight lcd screens are not practical. I speak from expirence beacause I developed a business application for the tablet pc. I have recieved plenty of feedback from customers about how hard it was to use them in the field.

    Vista Help Forum

    --
    Windows Vista Help Forum
    1. Re:not bright enough by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Informative

      your customers are not buying the right toughbooks.
        the toughbook-30 looks fantastic in bright direct sunlight as it has a correct reflective LCD instead of a standard Laptop screen, IF ordered correctly.

      Most places do not buy the right gear when it comes to toughbooks because their accounting department craps their pants when they see the price.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:not bright enough by silentbozo · · Score: 2, Informative

      Correction, in direct sunlight, backlit LCDs do not fare well - which means pretty much every color screen on the market. My ancient transflective Palm LCD works just fine in sunlight, as did my old black & white PowerBook Duo.

    3. Re:not bright enough by rossifer · · Score: 1

      These appear to have the outdoor brightness issue resolved, at the expense of adequate screen resolution. Even the newest and most expensive models only have 1024x768 resolution, a screen resolution I haven't spent money on since 1998.

      Then again, after owning multiple laptops with 1600x1200 screens, I find the 1440x900 screen on my shiny new 15" MacBook Pro extremely cramped. Which means that I've become quite spoiled. I wish I knew of a work-around to that.

      Ross

    4. Re:not bright enough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just to piss you off... someone at MiT do have a solution for your problem...
      No, this is not a troll nor flamebait... except the performance (and Windows-key) this project do have an answer for most problems addressed by rugged laptops...

    5. Re:not bright enough by GungaDan · · Score: 1

      "I've become quite spoiled. I wish I knew of a work-around to that."

      Holiday in Cambodia?

      --
      Eloi are stupid, throw morlocks at them!
  6. If you don't have time to read TFA.... by 8127972 · · Score: 4, Informative

    .... (after all it is 11 pages) Try surfing here for some quick hits on how their notebooks are tested and what standards they meet.

    http://www.panasonic.com/business/toughbook/df_tes t.asp

    If they weren't so bloody expensive, I'd get one. It looks like it would survive the real world quite nicely. If only all notebooks were built to HALF of what these are built to survive.

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    1. Re:If you don't have time to read TFA.... by bitrot42 · · Score: 2, Informative

      The page is in Japanese, but the videos speak for themselves:

      http://panasonic.jp/pc/appli/tough/

      And this is for the *semi* rugged line!

      More videos (fully rugged line):

      http://panasonic.com.au/products/information.cfm?d etailsID=236&contextID=2482

      --
      FIXME: Add a sig here
  7. Waste? by Rie+Beam · · Score: 1

    Are the systems completely destroyed by the testing, reused, or is there the possibility that they are throwing out half-working laptops that don't meet the minimum requirements to qualify as a Toughbook? If so, I might need to make a few dumpster diving trips...

  8. Matsushita Versus Sony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Panasonic is just one brand in the consumer-electronics empire of Matsushita. For decades, Panasonic quality was considered inferior to Sony quality, but at the moment, Panasonic quality is nearly identical to Sony quality. Moreover, Sony products cost 30% more than Panasonic products.

    Why would anyone want to pay 30% more for an equivalent product?

    Why does Sony charge so much money even though nearly 100% of its products is now assembled in low-wage China? Panasonic still tries to build its products in high-wage Japan.

    1. Re:Matsushita Versus Sony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      this is pure nonsense. Sony's is usually total crap, ask someone who earns a living fixing sony stuff.

    2. Re:Matsushita Versus Sony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Panasonic is just one brand in the consumer-electronics empire of Matsushita. For decades, Panasonic quality was considered inferior to Sony quality, but at the moment, Panasonic quality is nearly identical to Sony quality. People have ripped me for saying that in a Panasonic v. Sony situation - I'd choose Panasonic just about every time. Their products have always worked well for me and done so for very long periods of time.

      As an anecdote (take from what you will), just some of my experience with Panasonic:
        I had an old Quasar tv for about 8 years - I gave it to my father a few years ago after I upgraded - it is still working.
        I have a open carousel 5-CD changer that is approx 16 years old (Panasonic SL-PK345 Multi-CD Changer) that I got used around 1993. The first owner was a smoker, I am a smoker - the thing is still going like a champ with every day use. I have only had to clean the lens a few (3) times. I am absolutely amazed at how well this thing has stood the test of time.

      If I had the money, I'd buy a toughbook in a heartbeat.

      I do not work for Matsushita or any of their subsidiaries, nor do I work for a company that does any business with them.
    3. Re:Matsushita Versus Sony by tcc3 · · Score: 1

      The real problem is the drop in Sony quality. I agree that the concensus is that Panasonic has improved in recent years (they had nowhere to go but up), but Sony is not what it used to be either.

    4. Re:Matsushita Versus Sony by Miertam · · Score: 1

      The viao's are just junk these days they look pretty but hinge problems, bad screen connections, keys popping off, ect ect. They have always been a bit more fragile than the compition but the last four I have worked on have been less than a month old and had to be RMAed.

    5. Re:Matsushita Versus Sony by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 1

      My father worked retail at London Drug for a while. He saw Sony stuff, and Sanyo stuff come back defective all the time, however it rarely saw anything from Panasonic returned.

      My own experience with Sony hardware is actually the same. I've thrown out a lot of Sony stuff, but everything I have that has been made by Panasonic I still have and still works.

    6. Re:Matsushita Versus Sony by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Barely 50% of Sony Products are assembled in China. A lot of others are assembled in Malaysia, Hungary, Brazil, and even Japan. The initial stages of all new products and even new models of existing products are assembled in Japan. Once the product has been through thorough checkings and the designers / manufacturing engineers are satisfied that the manufacturing process is mature would it be transfered to China. And even then the QA process is rather vigourous, and by the book. Yes in fact I was a Sony employee. And unpopular as it may be among /.ers, the comparisson given by the parent was grossly unfair. Panasonic btw also has plants in these Countries.



      One big reason for the price is that a lot is spent on royalty paid to American Companies for HDCP, CPRM keys etc. As a result, the overhead is the same regardless of the Brand or country of origin. There is a distinction however with assembly and manufacturing. The product may be assembled in Brazil for example but most the actual parts are made in China or Taiwan and some even in Japan. The Sony DVD players 'made' in Brazil are actually assembled in Malaysia using parts from Japan, China, and Taiwan, then disassembled and the parts sent to Brazil and reassembled again. Why? Because they evade taxes for a finished goods of about USD100.

      Despite all the rivalry between Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, they are all in bed together. But trust me on this one. Sony Products are among the best in terms of Design (rivaled only by Pioneer) and the best in manufacturing process. What makes it better is that the country of origin does not always make a diff. The brand does.

    7. Re:Matsushita Versus Sony by beppu · · Score: 1

      This is similar to my own experience. Anything made by Panasonic that I've owned has been super-reliable.

  9. Yeesh. by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 1

    The photos were interesting, but the fawning, gushing text reads like a press release to Nickelodeon Magazine. Sure, it's an impressive setup.. but I could do without quite so much "gee golly whillikers" from a site called "TrustedReviews."

    I'd hate to see the review that ends up on "SlightlySuspectedOfBeingShillReviews..."

    --
    Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    1. Re:Yeesh. by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Yeah, computers just hate it when you anthropomorphize.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:Yeesh. by general+scruff · · Score: 1

      Oh I know! How dare anyone be amazed by anything nowadays.
      Thats so 1990!

      Didn't your mother ever tell you:
      "If don't have anything nice to say, don't post on slashdot!"?

      --
      As a rule, I never trust dark brown ketchup.
    3. Re:Yeesh. by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 1

      I like this reply a lot. :-D

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      Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    4. Re:Yeesh. by The_mad_linguist · · Score: 1

      Didn't your mother ever tell you:
      "If don't have anything nice to say, post on slashdot!"?

      Fixed your typo for you.

  10. Watch it though.... by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Getting on an airplane with one of These
    can panic the TSA morons quite fast.

    The thing looks like a bomb from the TV show 24.

    At minimum you look like a spy or someone who is not doing good things.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    1. Re:Watch it though.... by operagost · · Score: 1

      They won't stop you getting on the plane. They'll run it through the X-ray scanners and swab it for trace explosives before passing you through the security checkpoint just like they when I carried-on a SuperDLT.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    2. Re:Watch it though.... by Quantam · · Score: 1

      So, a friend and I flew to Kansas. As we were going through security at the departing airport, my friend got pulled aside for quite some time, as they dismantled his luggage, and I waited, watching the time. Eventually they packed everything up and let him go. When I asked what that was all about, he said that they thought his hard drive was a bomb.

      True story.

      --
      You have tried to support your argument with faulty reasoning! Go directly to jail; do not pass Go, do not collect $200!
    3. Re:Watch it though.... by philicorda · · Score: 2, Informative

      Nah.
      I have been around most of the world with my trusty CF27 toughbook and never had a problem. It looks even more agricultural than the more recent one you pictured. Never had a problem.

      In hong kong, forgot about it (heavy jetlag) and left it on the X-ray machine while going through customs. Went back half an hour later and picked it up. All they asked me to do was identify it and it was fine.

      I guess if I went to the states it could be more difficult, as they get spooked quite easily over there.

    4. Re:Watch it though.... by dbIII · · Score: 1

      It's extra fun when the guys carrying weird electronic stuff work near explosives and get detected as such.

  11. Itronix by rlp · · Score: 4, Informative

    The other maker of hardened laptop / PDA's is Itronix. I've got an old Itronix laptop that's built like a brick. Both Itronix and Toughbooks (particularly the later) are popular with police and fire depts. Fire depts. are very hard on laptops. They use them for things like communications, looking a dept. databases (fire inspection notes), info on hazardous materials,etc. I've heard of one fire chief who likes to test a vendor's notebooks by tossing them across the room. He's not very popular with sales reps.

    I got my Itronix used (years ago) on E-bay. It has a 'Sprint' logo on the cover. Apparently was used by field service techs.

    --
    [Insert pithy quote here]
    1. Re:Itronix by zcubed · · Score: 1

      Firefighters are very hard on stuff. The saying goes:
      "Put a firefighter in a phone booth with 2 bowling balls and come back in a hour. One bowling ball will be lost and the other bowling ball will be broken."

      The dept I worked at had the toughbook tablets in all the trucks and chiefs cars. Well worth the money if you truly need a hardened laptop.

    2. Re:Itronix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      BellSouth uses Itronix for their field techs.
      SBC uses Panasonic for theirs.

      It is very likely that if you buy any of these on ebay then they were stolen. At least if it is any that you actually want to buy (current CPU/RAM).

      I'm convinced that most of the extreme cost for these devices is for warranty repair/replacement. Where I work, we bought 10% more (over 1000) than we needed and rotate failed units back to the manufacturer constantly. Even in the winter time, overheating is a problem for some reason.

      I carried a "GoBook 3" around a few days a few years ago. HEAVY! The handle is nice, but the weight will drive you nuts. I have a 4lb Dell now and get a new one annually. This saves the company money over buying the hardened laptops.

      The US military also uses Itronix laptops in Iraq.

    3. Re:Itronix by rlp · · Score: 1

      > It is very likely that if you buy any of these on ebay then they were stolen.

      No, not if you wait for companies to replace obsolete machines. My laptop (old Pentium 133) was part of a large batch sold off to resellers. The downside is that some of these machines were pretty beaten up. A reputable reseller will give you an accurate description of the condition (scrapes, scratches, parts falling off, etc).

      --
      [Insert pithy quote here]
  12. Not so tough actually by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The place where I work has used various models of Toughbooks and they have some very curious weaknesses. For instance, the CF-2x series have utter crap keyboards. It's been my experience that its difficult to find one that actually being used in the environment they are intended without seeing a bunch of them with missing keycaps.

    Oh, and in response about TSA, I've had to carry three CF-28's through security at multiple airports and yes, the xray guys eyes kinda bug out when they see them. One is bad enough, but explaining why I have three is always amusing.

  13. you are just wrong! by way2trivial · · Score: 1

    they also heche en mexico

    the question is still valid, the assertion is not.

    --
    every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
  14. Methods of torture by rachit · · Score: 1, Funny

    Soaking, electric shock, heating and electromagnetic radiation are among the many methods of torture used. They should bring Jack Bauer in for this "testing" department
    1. Re:Methods of torture by operagost · · Score: 2, Funny

      No good. Notebooks don't have testicles.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    2. Re:Methods of torture by Hal_Porter · · Score: 1

      Legally, what Jack Bauer does is discomfort enhanced debriefing, not torture.

      --
      echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  15. ToughBook ToughLove by ettlz · · Score: 4, Funny

    From TFA:

    Behind locked doors at Panasonic's Osaka and Kobe facilities poor ToughBooks are thrashed to within an inch of their lives. ... I saw a very sorry looking CF-29 strapped to a rack, being poked with metal spikes.

    Every dominatrix should have one.

  16. Um... by AeroIllini · · Score: 5, Insightful
    From TFA:

    I therefore jumped at the chance to nip over to Japan and see Panasonic's setup in person.
    Perhaps not the best choice of words...?
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  17. Instead of a Toughbook... by Henry+V+.009 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've never considered buying a Toughbook. It's cheaper to buy two (or three) equivalent "regular" laptops, and swap out the hard drives every time one is destroyed. Combined with decent backups, this is all that most Toughbook users really need.

    1. Re:Instead of a Toughbook... by clonmult · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Nice idea, shame its useless. Most of these are used out in the field, and it may not be realistic/practical to take several laptops out into the field, and when one dies, swap out the harddrive. Half the users probably aren't capable of swapping the drives themselves either.

    2. Re:Instead of a Toughbook... by Henry+V+.009 · · Score: 1

      Sure. I can imagine situations where it would be useful too -- especially if you're backpacking your gear -- but most of the time Toughbook users are wasting their money.

      And it can be very easy to swap out hard drives if they're pcmcia.

    3. Re:Instead of a Toughbook... by larien · · Score: 1
      As others have pointed out, it's not always practical to use "hot-swap" laptops - what's cheaper, buying a rugged laptop, or having your field engineers running back to base every time they drop their laptop?

      When you're talking about engineers whose main tools are a screwdriver & spanner, they probably treat laptops with the same level of harsh use.

    4. Re:Instead of a Toughbook... by Kris_B_04 · · Score: 1

      They're great for the military!!! :)

      --
      Remember when Windows were washed, mice were trapped and UNIX guarded the harem?
    5. Re:Instead of a Toughbook... by JPribe · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm going to guess you have never used a Toughbook. Swapping the HDD is as easy as swapping the battery. We have about 300 of these at work, spares on the shelf. If the screen dies on you then you go in, pull the HDD and battery, turn in the old shell and get a new one. (CF-29 in an industrial environment: all of our tech data is on the toughbooks, and work is updated live via a scheduled wireless database sync.)

      --

      Why go fast when you can go anywhere? O|||||||O
    6. Re:Instead of a Toughbook... by jcgf · · Score: 1

      PCMCIA hard drives? I haven't seen many of those. They are usually 2.5" ide or sata on the new laptops.

    7. Re:Instead of a Toughbook... by Blkdeath · · Score: 1

      Sure. I can imagine situations where it would be useful too -- especially if you're backpacking your gear -- but most of the time Toughbook users are wasting their money.

      Most of the time? The police, military, fire departments, field technicians and others who work in extreme environments are "wasting their money"? If they brought a traditional laptop to many places they need them on a day to day basis they wouldn't last more than a week. How practical is it to purchase 4 laptops per month when a single $3500 unit would last for years?

      And it can be very easy to swap out hard drives if they're pcmcia. Psssst; part of the strength of the toughbook is the ruggedness of the hard drive enclosure.
      --
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      Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.

  18. I remember back when... by Drakin020 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I used to work at a store called Altex. It was a computer store. We had lots of cables OEM computer parts and so on. Well that was my first job as a computer technician before I hit the networking job. I remember this guy bringing in a tough book. I had never seen or heard of one before.

    He walks in and had a question about repairing the keys on the computer. A few had broke off and he wanted to get a replacement keyboard. As I walked out and noticed the computer I said to the guy "Thats an odd looking laptop" he responded with "Oh its a tough book" I paused for a second and said "Tough book?" He goes "Yeah watch this" He picks it up and drops it off the table...Stunned, I looked over and noticed not a scratch on it. Was very cool getting to see one of those.

    --
    The greatest revenge in life is massive success.
    1. Re:I remember back when... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yet it had broken keys? Doesn't sound that tough.

    2. Re:I remember back when... by Drakin020 · · Score: 0

      I would guess its only tough when closed. The keys looked as if someone was typing and there finger got below one of the keys and it popped off.

      --
      The greatest revenge in life is massive success.
  19. Great notebooks by dimension6 · · Score: 1

    I'm typing this on a CF-T5 ("business-rugged") notebook. I've had it for about 4 months now, and I probably won't buy another notebook brand anytime soon. The quality is terrific. When I pick the notebook up, the case doesn't creak at all. I think Panasonic should work on their marketing outside of Japan (Panasonic laptops are already popular there). Many people are willing to spend more for quality in their laptops...

    1. Re:Great notebooks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seriously, have you tried Linux or a *nix on it?

    2. Re:Great notebooks by zcubed · · Score: 1

      I think Panasonic should work on their marketing outside of Japan
      They have ads in magazines for police and fire here in the states. I don't think the average Joe would need a ruggedized laptop, so I think they focus their ad dollars at the people that could benefit from them.
    3. Re:Great notebooks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are. We just finished inferno work on new tough book ads here in New York. www.rhinofx.tv

  20. not so tough by Bongman · · Score: 1

    we have been using them for over two years for some of our users, and have found them to be not so tough. Connectors come loose, screens crack and backlights fail. Thinkpads have proven much more reliable.

    1. Re:not so tough by atcurtis · · Score: 4, Insightful

      we have been using them for over two years for some of our users, and have found them to be not so tough. Connectors come loose, screens crack and backlights fail. Thinkpads have proven much more reliable.

      Give users something and tell them it is tough and they will break it by being wreckless.

      Give users something and tell them it is fragile, there is a good chance they will treat it reasonably.

      Better to give a rugged notebook to someone who needs a rugged notebook due to the work that they do and tell them that it is not indestructable and that they should handle it as carefully as their job permits... Then it should last a reasonable amount of time.

      Just my 2 cents worth.

      --
      -- The universe began. Life started on a billion worlds...
      -- Except on one where stupidity was there first.
    2. Re:not so tough by operagost · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sorry, but that's ridiculous. Thinkpads have nice hard disk protection, but drop an open one on the floor and the screen and hinge are DEAD.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    3. Re:not so tough by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same exact scenario at my work, thinkpads far outlast toughbooks in harsh conditions.

    4. Re:not so tough by Prophet+of+Nixon · · Score: 1

      I've seen an X20 survive worse than that. I carried one every day for almost five years. It did finally sort of die; its had some manner of hardware failure that makes it unable to recognize batteries at all, and it can't sleep anymore. I gave it to my dad around 6 months ago when that happened, and he's still using it, plugged in next to his TV remote caddy (its the internet remote).

      I can't say much for the new T60s though, I played with a new T60p at work and thought it was nasty (awful screen and keyboard)... got an old Tecra M2 for really cheap instead, and its a good enough computer.

    5. Re:not so tough by AeroIllini · · Score: 1

      Give users something and tell them it is tough and they will break it by being wreckless.
      No, the idea is to make the laptop tough enough that it will be wreckless no matter how reckless the users are...
      --
      For security, the MD5 hash of this message and sig is 09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0.
  21. Whatever! by git68 · · Score: 1
    Tough on the outside, but...

    http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/07/021 9212

    --
    sigpending(2)
  22. They cost about $4000 by LotsOfPhil · · Score: 2, Informative

    $4000 laptop is too expensive for me, sigh.

    --
    This post climbed Mt. Washington.
    1. Re:They cost about $4000 by solevita · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Their high price is the biggest problem with them, the second problem is their toughness. Sounds strange? Well, I had to use one of the bastards last summer. I was working for my university who had spend a few grand on a toughbook years a go. Of course, now it was too slow to run anything I wanted use, but there was no way the university was getting rid of it; it had cost a fortune and it hadn't broken. That made it useless.

      If you want to use a laptop in a field over summer, buy the cheapest you can find and keep buying them every year. 5 years later you'll have spent less money (even if you break a couple and need to go buy some replacements) and you won't be stuck with an outdated, but perfectly functioning, computer.

      Toughbooks, I hate them.

    2. Re:They cost about $4000 by smoker2 · · Score: 1

      so much for global warming ...

    3. Re:They cost about $4000 by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      If you want to use a laptop in a field over summer, buy the cheapest you can find and keep buying them every year. 5 years later you'll have spent less money (even if you break a couple and need to go buy some replacements) and you won't be stuck with an outdated, but perfectly functioning, computer.

      The point is, there aresome situations where breaking "in the field" is not good in a big way. That's why the DoD buys 'em.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    4. Re:They cost about $4000 by couchslug · · Score: 2, Interesting

      When they are bought as an equipment item for a specific task, they shine. They are often integrated with military test systems where they need to last for years, and they do. They are not intended for people who will care about the initial or replacement pricetag.

      I like grabbing "outdated, but perfectly functioning, computer"s and tossing Linux on 'em.
      Even my CF-71 is still useful (in my shop, for reading vehicle manuals), easy to fix if I do damage it, and cost me about $160 plus some fiddling to make one out of two. They are a breeze to work on.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    5. Re:They cost about $4000 by K8Fan · · Score: 1

      They have actually been known to have protected soldiers by stopping bullets. I'd imagine troops stuck in unarmored HumVees carry their ToughBooks between themselves and the door.

      I'd like to have one of them, but as a general rule, I don't buy any laptop I haven't actually typed on. And Panasonic doesn't seem to have any interest in getting these things into stores. I've never seen one in any computer store.

      --
      "How perfectly Goddamn delightful it all is, to be sure" Charles Crumb
    6. Re:They cost about $4000 by liteyear · · Score: 1

      Interesting point, but clearly your university is not the right market or environment for the ToughBook. Consider the scenarios where we use then (underground mines, on large mining equipment, transported via back-of-ute method) and then consider than you average $2000 laptop would last about 1 day in this environment, if it were lucky. Perhaps you can start to see why the high price is justified.

      This isn't the laptop to buy if you're unsure whether it will ever leave your desk ;)

      --
      * Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool *
    7. Re:They cost about $4000 by liteyear · · Score: 1

      What? Me use the preview button? Ha! How could I ever make a mistake in that little post? Of course, I meant "...and then consider that your average $2000..."

      --
      * Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool *
    8. Re:They cost about $4000 by solevita · · Score: 1

      You're right of course; my university didn't need to buy a toughbook, but some sales swine had talked them into it. In situations mentioned by both yourself and others; in the military for specific purposes, down mines, etc, toughbooks are great. But for constantly updating software in an uncertain environment (that's an uncertain academic, not physical environment) they're too rigid and uncompromising.

      Toughbooks have their merits, but if you want a general purpose computer and you don't know what you might be doing with it in two years time, buy something more disposable.

      And finally, as to the poster who suggested that a failing laptop is not an option, even if you can get a cheap replacement, I'll just say that that situation is just as hopeless as an old laptop that won't run any modern software. In both instances I can't do what I want.

    9. Re:They cost about $4000 by cshuttle · · Score: 1

      and you won't be stuck with an outdated, but perfectly functioning, computer. Welcome to the world of durable machines. I wish I could really, really, really prove to my CFO that the server from 5 years ago was worth getting rid of, but truth to be told, the damned thing still functions. And the maintenance cost isn't high enough to justify getting a new machine.
    10. Re:They cost about $4000 by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 1

      I'd like to have one of them, but as a general rule, I don't buy any laptop I haven't actually typed on.

      We use them where I work (Air Force), we send them into the field with C-17 crews. Toughbooks have a reputation for being "slow" only because there are so many old ones still working (at $4000 plus, we use 'em till they die). The new ones are just as zippy as any new laptop, they only suffer from a small screen size due to the small "footprint" requirements.

      --
      If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
  23. I couldn't resist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In Soviet Russia... Laptops torture you!

  24. So are they by jimbobborg · · Score: 1

    pretty beefy?

    (It's in Kobe. Kobe beef. Got it?)

    1. Re:So are they by trb · · Score: 1

      I thought they were taking advantage of the local earthquakes.

  25. Silicon Heaven by Nonsanity · · Score: 1

    If there's no such thing a Silicon Heaven, then where to all the ToughBooks go?

    1. Re:Silicon Heaven by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 1

      They don't go anywhere, they just die.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
  26. Trust me on this by quokkapox · · Score: 3, Funny
    An overconfident dad with a philips-head is much more dangerous than a four year old.

    You can take the computer away from the four-year-old. Your dad will want to try "one more thing".

    --
    it's a blue bright blue Saturday hey hey
    1. Re:Trust me on this by Zerolove · · Score: 1
      How bout the pissed off lawyer.

      So i'm at the hotel, let me just ask is chlorine from a pool bad for my laptop? of course I told him it was no better for it then the Rum and Coke from last week.
    2. Re:Trust me on this by kalleguld · · Score: 1
      I'm confused. Does this have anything to do with your sig?

      Hello, Dad? I'm in jail.
      --
      Sigs are bad for your health
    3. Re:Trust me on this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your dad is Steve Jobs?

    4. Re:Trust me on this by quokkapox · · Score: 1

      No.

      --
      it's a blue bright blue Saturday hey hey
  27. Daylight Screen Standard? / $4169.95 by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2, Interesting

    the toughbook-30 looks fantastic in bright direct sunlight as it has a correct reflective LCD instead of a standard Laptop screen, IF ordered correctly.

    Can you order it without the correct screen? The Panasonic site makes it seem like it's standard.

    Most places do not buy the right gear when it comes to toughbooks because their accounting department craps their pants when they see the price.

    If so, Amazon has it listed for $4,169.95 which doesn't seem unreasonable, considering it's not hard to order a Lenovo ThinkPad for that much. I'm sure the specs aren't as good (fast/big/bells/whistles) but they're both 'high-end' notebooks, just with different requirements docs.

    Now, how are the Linux drivers? I understand the DoD uses them in this fashion, so I'm guessing 'good enough'.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    1. Re:Daylight Screen Standard? / $4169.95 by Lumpy · · Score: 1

      Nope the way I ordered the last one for a client it came to $6500.00 but that was with the gps, Cingular data modem built in, touchscreen and daylight reflective as well as a couple other exotic options. I have always specified my options and ignored what they list at the resellers, that way they cant weasel out of things when it arrives wrong.

      BTW, a toughbook kicks the crap out of any other laptop. I have an old one here from my Pentium II days that still works and has fell from a 2nd story height been ran over by a car in the snow (small car) and looks like I should be running from MI5 wearing a trenchcoat after we repainted it drab green and added black stencil numbers to it to make it look more presentable they run forever with abuse. you cant do that to any dell or thinkpad. I loved not having to carry a laptop case, just fling it in the back of the pickup or back seat and go.

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    2. Re:Daylight Screen Standard? / $4169.95 by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      I loved not having to carry a laptop case, just fling it in the back of the pickup or back seat and go.

      Nice. That does have a certain allure. :)

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
    3. Re:Daylight Screen Standard? / $4169.95 by NeilTheStupidHead · · Score: 2, Funny

      Even better, watching everyone else in the room crap their pants when you pick it up, single-handed, by the edge of the LCD cover and *throw* it across the room to a collegue. Or, when carrying it by the handle (which mine still has), using it as a door knocker. As a joke, I once used the cover to break open a stubborn walnut that broke a friend's cheap nutcracker

      --
      Lose: misplace or fail || Loose: not bound together
  28. It is possible to kill the hard drives by fishandring · · Score: 3, Informative

    I worked at a company where they kept losing toughbook hard drives. They are not cheap to say the least because they reside inside a gel-suspension. Come to find out the techs were laying the toughbook at eye level on top of 15000 watt generators for extended periods of time monitoring the SCADA system. There's only o much vibration any hard drive can take...

    1. Re:It is possible to kill the hard drives by jacksonj04 · · Score: 1

      I'm not surprised the HDDs failed then. I'd wait until they have flash drives, then give them another roll. Some handheld systems can take an almighty beating and keep on going despite having less padding through the simple virtue of not having moving parts.

      --
      How many people can read hex if only you and dead people can read hex?
    2. Re:It is possible to kill the hard drives by ratman69 · · Score: 2, Informative

      We are having a similar problem, I work for a fire department and we have mounted toughbooks in our Fire Engines right over the engine cowling. They all lasted about a year and then the Hard drives started failing at a ridiculous rate. I suspect its a combination of lots of vibration and lots of heat. Nice thing is Panasonic has been replacing them, no questions asks. They show up in 1 day, 2 max. The sales rep even gave us a few drives to keep on hand so we can repair them without having to wait for the replacement part to ship.

  29. "many methods of torture used" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hasn't "torture" just been renamed to "coercive interrogation"? Let's get with the times people.

  30. bad workmanship by sentientbeing · · Score: 5, Funny

    The drop testing machine that's located at the Osaka R&D facility is one of only eight in the world, but unfortunately it wasn't working on the day we visited.


    Things just arent built to last these days . .

    --

    ------
    beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master
    1. Re:bad workmanship by QuantumPion · · Score: 1

      The drop testing machine that's located at the Osaka R&D facility is one of only eight in the world, but unfortunately it wasn't working on the day we visited.

      Things just arent built to last these days . .
      Or, maybe it was SO tough, that the laptop broke the testing machine itself! OOooooo! :)
    2. Re:bad workmanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      unfortunately it wasn't working on the day we visited.


      Word on the street says, There was a Mutant Toughbook that finally said 'Enough!' and laid waste to the drop test facility.

      Somehow the alpha Model of the Ultimate Toughbook With Adamantium Casing had snuck into the assembly line...

    3. Re:bad workmanship by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've seen that shock test system. It is capable of 7.5K+ G's. Its not just free-fall, it has 1" bungee cords [the kind used for jumping off of bridges] double-reeved around the carriage to accelerate the drop. The weak link is typically the height sensor; they're working on it.

      http://www.lansmont.com/TestEquipment/Shock/Perfor manceSystems/Shock457.htm your source for vibration & shock testing equipment.

    4. Re:bad workmanship by Infinityis · · Score: 1

      You must be new here.

      The proper phrase is "In Soviet Osaka, Toughbooks break drop testing machines."

      For added flavor, you can throw in stuff like:

      "THEY SET US UP THE DROP TEST"

      "The drop tester is dead, Netcraft confirms it"

      "I, for one, welcome our drop tester-breaking Toughbook overlords"

  31. Just imagine... by stormeru · · Score: 1, Funny

    ...a Beowulf cluster of tortured ToughBooks with post-traumatic symptoms.
    Beware! While they are idle they might compute a way to revenge against the human torturers with electroshocks. Oh wait... these are not Dell notebooks.

    Shame for me, before reading this story I never knew that Panasonic is involved in notebook production.

  32. Pretty Tough... by Wes+Janson · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Saw one take a dive off of the top of a moving patrol car, onto asphalt (moral of the story: don't leave laptops on top of cruisers). Popped a few things out the side, but everything slid back into place, and it booted right up. Dunno about long-term abuse, but I found that test pretty impressive. For organizations such as those, I can easily see how the extra cost for a Toughbook would be worth it. You'd make it back within a few months with the amount saved by not having to replace components and entire units all the time.

  33. Great Products by dave562 · · Score: 1

    One of my clients is in waste management and also owns some power plants. After getting fed up with constantly replacing laptops, they bought some Toughbooks and they have been going strong. One of the great features is that you can still get Toughbooks with serial ports. They are pricey, but the extra resiliency is worth the cost.

  34. Great, but can they handle... by RPI+Geek · · Score: 1

    ... Slashdot's finest?

    --

    - "Nobody came out that night, not one was ever seen. But Old Man Stauf is waiting there, crazy sick and mean!"
  35. Parts Quality Counts Too by robertc5 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I used to use IBM Thinkpads. In fact; I went through four of em in as many years. Hinges broke. Power connectors broke, plastic case parts broke. And don't ask about the number of times I almost dropped one.

    After buying a Toughbook 3-1/2 years ago; I have not had one single problem. The laptop industry's dirty big secret is not that laptopls need to be ruggedized for real-world use but that most laptops are flimsy and are designed so that they are prone to break under normal use. Most have a very slippery, low-profile shape; but no handle. This often leads to the unit being dropped or being set down hard.

    Most users do not need ruggedized laptops. We do need laptops built well enough to be used by real people in the real world.

    1. Re:Parts Quality Counts Too by PitaBred · · Score: 1

      Or you could realize that a laptop is often a delicate tool, and should be treated as such. Or do you regularly drop and sit on your glasses as well? There are some cases where a Toughbook is a good investment, especially when it's needed to be used outdoors or in very mobile situations, things like firefighters and police work, or field engineers. If you just use a laptop when it's at a desk or in a controlled indoor environment, and only for portability? Stop abusing your equipment. Or pay through the nose for lower performance because you're lazy and clumsy. Not my money.

      --
      My blog. Good stuff (when I remember to update it). Read it.
  36. Sound very familiar by rossz · · Score: 3, Funny

    Soaking, electric shock, heating and electromagnetic radiation are among the many methods of torture used.
    They just described my pending divorce.
    --
    -- Will program for bandwidth
  37. No real video card? by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 1

    Why none of the Toughbooks have a real video card come up gma 950 has a hard time runnoing vista 3d desktop and there people out there that need good video for cad and other things that may need to use in a places where you should have a Toughbook.

    1. Re:No real video card? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why none of the Toughbooks have a real video card come up gma 950 has a hard time runnoing vista 3d desktop and there people out there that need good video for cad and other things that may need to use in a places where you should have a Toughbook.

      Forget Toughbook. You need a grammar book.

  38. Top Customer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The top customer of the toughbooks should be the US military. I bet that these toughbooks are quite handy in performing battlefield calculations in a war zone.

    1. Re:Top Customer by kd5ujz · · Score: 1

      Where I see them the most, is in Police cruisers.

      --
      -William
      God is everything science has yet to explain.
  39. Not to worry by Aqua_boy17 · · Score: 1

    Just set your home page to here and you're all set.

    --
    What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
  40. Semi-OT: DeWALT laptop by Gerald · · Score: 1

    I'd pay good money for a DeWALT laptop, even if it was a rebranded toughbook.

    1. Re:Semi-OT: DeWALT laptop by ptelligence · · Score: 1

      Helluvan idea. Acer makes Ferrari's. I can see contractor and construction types using their DeWalt or Craftsman laptops. I'm surprised this hasn't happened yet.

  41. Bah! Apple MacBook's are tougher. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They even cure world hunger. Toshiba, by comparison, sucks.

  42. Re:Bah! Apple MacBook's are tougher. by jc42 · · Score: 1

    They even cure world hunger.

    Really? How many calories are in one of those things?

    --
    Those who do study history are doomed to stand helplessly by while everyone else repeats it.
  43. top customer be Schlumberger by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    shlum burgerKing for you illiterates who didn't make the second interview

    out in the oilfields of Al ask A. They're just great, they connect to home over the intarweb to reduce the date collected in the field. Any place you need a four wheeler to get to the data collection site. 5 grand for a lump of computer is nothing compared to getting an oilfield engineer out to a wellhead after the cement has been poured.

    These babies are just great.

    Now if Apple would ruggedize their SissyBooks...

  44. Missed BY QA. by Dick+Soares · · Score: 1

    We use the convertible toughbook in the field mapping soils. The stylus's are not waterproof. Why bother making a tablet computer to use in the rain without making the input device waterproof. Reminds me of the water-soluble umbrella I bought a few years ago.

  45. It's pointless ... by chris_sawtell · · Score: 1

    ... having a built-like-a-battleship laptop if the software inside is a fall-over flake.
    So: Do these machines run a Unix derivative out-of-the-box and perfectly?

    1. Re:It's pointless ... by mvdwege · · Score: 1

      I've been eyeing second-hand Toughbooks for some time, as they make ideal laptops to throw into my motorcycle hardcases without worrying about padding around them.

      As far as I can tell, and the reports on linux-laptop.net seem to bear this out, Panasonic aka Matshushita uses fairly standard chipsets in these things, the kind they also sell to other manufacturers, so they run Linux with a little fiddling at most. Which is of course logical: a well-known, well-tested, and well-integrated hardware design is also much more stable driver-wise, and what use is a rugged laptop if it keeps crashing? The upside is that these are usually the kind of chipsets that also run well under Linux.

      Mart
      --
      "I know I will be modded down for this": where's the option '-1, Asking for it'?
  46. I love my W2 by usagibrian · · Score: 1

    Slick as snot. Refurbished. Under 3 pounds. Intergrated CD/DVD (under the trackpad). Battery lasts forever (okay, a couple of hours, but it's still so far better than anything else I've ever used). The HD did die on me at one point (but held up long enough to get a backup off). THAT hurt to replace (at the US service center), but damn it, it worked and they were great to deal with. I wouldn't want to try to do gameplay on it, but as a portable desktop replacement, it's great.

  47. Police Cruiser? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In today's militarized America, is there really a difference between the big-city streets and a war zone?

  48. Forum for the 'normal' toughbooks by chrnb · · Score: 1

    Here is a forum for the more 'normal' toughtbooks, also called "Let's Note" in Japan:

    http://www.leog.net/fujp_forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID= 29

    They are totally supiriour to all other notebooks in terms of weight and durability, or so I'm told ^^

    --
    MikMik Baby Organics Mikkaworks
  49. Yeah, but.... by element-o.p. · · Score: 1

    ...can they stand up to my star coworker? No kidding, I've been here less than a year, and he has broken^H^H^H^H^H^Hdestroyed no less than four of our (non-Panasonic) laptops while I've worked here.

    --
    MCSE? No, sir...I don't do Windows. Yes, I am an idealist. What's your point?
  50. not indestructable by SirSmiley · · Score: 1, Interesting

    We have a client who is very hard on equipment.... his memory stick which was some noname thing he got in asia wouldnt work in the toughbook (we gave it to him for internet browsing as he is hard on equip,,,no one can break this right?) long story short he "tapped it into the usb slot" turns out he had it upsidedown...and tapped it in with a hardcover book or something...we had to strip the toughbook apart and solder on a new usb port we stole from an old laptop

  51. Some Firsthand Experience by unkiereamus · · Score: 1

    I work in EMS, and my company recently rolled out toughbook CF-19's, I can't attest as to their abilities to withstand long term abuse, but I can say that they will quite happily drop a little over a meter onto linoleum covered concrete without so much as a mark (On the toughbook, the lino has a noticible dent)...not that I'm the clumsy type.

    As for the brightness of the screen, they are BRIGHT. I have used one in direct sunlight easily, now it's not as easy as using it inside the ambulance, but it's still quite doable. The other proviso I should make is that is in the Maine sun, which isn't quite the same thing as the California sun I grew up with, but well, it's still sunlight.

    The only complaint I have with the system thus far, and this is really kind of petty, is there is a sicker on the lid which has the actual toughbook branding on it, and it's soft, at least compared to the rest, in fact, the only mark on any of our 12 TBs, is on one of those stickers.

    --
    I needed a sig so people would know who I am, but I was too drunk to make something witty, so you get this instead.
  52. It's tough... by professorfalcon · · Score: 1

    But can it survive Chuck Norris?

  53. Please submit your resume ASAP by mrmeval · · Score: 1

    Please show your experience with US and European military and commercial shock and vibration specifications.
    Please show your experience with measuring damage caused by RFI, ESD, EMP, ionizing radiation and other damge causing emmissions.

    Please show your experience with pressure testing, fluid leak testing etc. .... :)

    --
    I'd go on a Vegan diet but the delivery time from Vega is too long. --brownkitty
  54. The Kobe plant in Eagle, Colorado by Big+Nothing · · Score: 1

    "In a recent tour of the Kobe plant in Japan it was discovered that 1000's of ToughBooks are destroyed each year in pursuit of the most rugged systems. Soaking, electric shock, heating and electromagnetic radiation are among the many methods of torture used."

    Do not confuse this with the Kobe plant in Eagle, Colorado, where laptops are being raped.

    --
    SIG: TAKE OFF EVERY 'CAPTAIN'!!
  55. Sounds familiar? by Big+Nothing · · Score: 1

    "Soaking, electric shock, heating and electromagnetic radiation are among the many methods of torture used."

    So this is like the Abu Ghraib of laptops?

    --
    SIG: TAKE OFF EVERY 'CAPTAIN'!!
  56. CF71 still holding up by reed · · Score: 1

    My old Toughbook CF-71 (300Mhz!) is still working great, with an upgraded HDD and RAM (though recent versions of Linux are having trouble with power management/hibernation), after all these years. It's got a big old handle, useful to carry along anywhere, gathering data, or to whip out to work on something (have to wrangle the GPS serial cables though). Been dropped and squashed and bounced. Hasn't yet been rained on.