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Dell's Rugged Laptop Doesn't Quite Pass 4-Foot Drop Test
narramissic writes "Dell's new Latitude E6400 XFR laptop is designed to withstand drops, dust and high pressure water spray. The company claims the laptop, which is intended for military use, can withstand rain and wind gusts of up 70 mph, and can work in temperatures from -20 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. It can also work for an hour at an altitude of 15,000 feet and is designed to withstand drops of around 4 feet (48 inches) when not operating and 36 inches when operational. The LCD screen floats a little bit within the LCD cover so it can take impacts and shock, said Jeremy Bolen, a Dell spokesman. But watch as the laptop that Dell used to show these features wasn't able to withstand the rough treatment that was part of the company's demonstration."
Reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite, when Kip is selling tupperwear and he drives over one with a van to show its strength, and it just completely bursts. He just says "dang" and drives away.
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
I like the ballistic armor (spectra flex/kevlar)...makes me want to shoot a Dell with a 9mm STEN.
Trust me, shooting a Dell without the armor is orders of magnitude more satisfying.
Fair enough. OTOH, if you have access to adamantium, you probably also could just use a brick with a +3 data storage bonus, rather than a hard drive.
I accidently dropped my wifes Dell laptop from at least 4 feet. It survived
What's more important is that you obviously survived to post this tale. Sir, please mail me when you divorce because for the love of all that's sacred, I will propose this fine woman.
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Reminds me of a 3M rep that was demoing some new "rugged" fiber patch cables. She put a light on it, tied it into a knot, showed light still coming through (as if that demonstrated that it would carry data still, but I digress). One of our cable installers took it, crimped it, and the lights went out forever (surprise surprise). We all knew what would happen, but MAN wasn't she pissed about it. We weren't going to buy their product anyway, regardless of the demo, but she spent the next half hour uncomfortably trying to explain how great they were anyway...I still chuckle when I think about it.
Man, I've dropped my MBP many times...
Dude, get a grip.
Experience teaches only the teachable. -AH