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Rugged Laptop/Tablet Suggestions, 2010 Version?
robbievienna writes "I'm currently living in the Arabian desert. Typically, unless a building has been sealed against the elements, sand and dust get everywhere. I purchased a keyboard cover for one of my laptops, and noticed that there was more accumulation on the underside than the topside. I've had sand crunk up the guts of one laptop and one tablet (Nokia N810). My coworkers who are native to the region tend to trade out their technology every six to twelve months, but I don't want to migrate data and adjust to new hardware that frequently. I was wondering what suggestions people have for working in this type of environment — both for laptops and for tablets. For reference, I work in a pseudo-secured zone where computers (phones, etc.) are not permitted to have cameras. A DVD drive would be nice, but is unnecessary. The more USB ports, the better. The last time the question was posted on Slashdot was five years ago, so I'm presuming that there are new industry leaders."
I've been using the HP EliteBook 8540w and it's been hard to destroy. I ran an HP demo unit through the mill too (dropped it from six feet on all corners, etc) - it's rated for military use, and I'm pretty sure it's one step below the ruggedized laptops you can get with armor plating.
// -- http://www.BRAD-X.com/ --
then underclock it.
then laminate it.
A quick google came up with the following website: http://www.ruggednotebooks.com/ :) ).
They have notebooks with sealed keyboards, low reflectivity (especially greate for the desert conditions
There are models that meet MIL-STD-810. Have you seen any of these tried in your environment? Some of them have already been mentioned such as the Panasonic Toughbooks and HP Elitebooks.
Dell XFRs start around $1,600 from the Outlet, with Core 2 Duos, no webcam, and designed to operate in the conditions you describe. I don't think they're quite as rugged as the Panasonic Toughbooks, but you can just buy two XFRs for the same price and switch the hard drives out if one breaks.
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales/topics/global.aspx/arb/online/en/InventorySearch?c=us&cs=28&l=en&s=dfb
You can spend a lot of money and buy a ruggedized laptop ( panasonic toughbooks are the best known examples and they have a range of models from semi ruggedized to fully ruggedized ).
However the feature you want from the ruggedized unit is the fact that fully ruggedized laptops are setup to be fanless ( the better designed ones ). Fanless means they don't need to suck in air, which would need to be filtered, which then becomes a point of failure.
So for example most netbooks for example run an atom cpu that just needs a heatsink and no fan. That then eliminates the point of failure of the fan sucking in dust. There are desktop choices that are the same, underclocked or low power cpu's that don't produce enough heat to need more then a heatsink so can run fanless.
I doubt the iPad is going to be sturdy or rugged by any stretch of the imagination.
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I carried a Itronix Duo-Touch II for a few months during field-work. It is a very robust tablet and is pretty much everything-proof (other than driving over it with a truck).
http://www.gd-itronix.com/index.cfm?page=Products:Duo-Touch_II
It is pricey as Itronix was purchased by General Dynamics but is mil rated.
Tisha Hayes
Whether netbook or notebook, you'll probably want an SSD(hard drives have filters; but SSDs don't even breathe air). If you get some common, cheap model, (ideally with a an easily accessible drive location, not one of the epic deconstruction project ones), you should be able to just pop the SSD out of the dead unit and pop it in to the new one, boot and go. No real "migrating" or "adjusting" involved. You'll still want backups, of course, because SSDs can and do die; but, as long as your hardware stays the same, the only "migrating" you should have to do is a simple disk swap.
Buy two. Seal one in an airtight bag, with some dessicant packets, and put it back in its padded packaging, then stash it under your bed or in a closet or something. Use the other one. When it dies, or becomes excessively full of sand and flakiness, pull the drive out of it, blow any grit off, and put it in to #2. Boot #2 and order a third from the electronics site of your choice. When #3 arrives, seal it and store it until #2 dies.
Wasteful, sure; but you can easily repeat this procedure a fair few times before you equal the price of a single "rugged" notebook.
should filter out the worst offender category of sand/dust without seriously impeding air flow
Desert dust is distinct from the grains of sand you're accustomed to. It's been worn down to nearly microscopic, is highly abrasive, very light, and nylons won't keep that kind of stuff out. And even if they could, you're obstructing the airflow to critical components which will overheat. He did mention desert correct? Deserts are (as a rule) quite hot.
You need purpose-built tools to work in that environment.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
The iPad comment was a joke and it is just not built for the outside. It's barely meant for a kitchen with a tile floor.
If you don't want to touch the toughbook, maybe the Dell Latitude E6400 XFR http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-latitude-xfr-e6400?c=us&l=en&s=bsd
so I'm presuming that there are new industry leaders
Not really...It's a tough nut to crack, so the market leaders in the ruggedized notebook sector tend to get there and say there. As others have said, your best (& costliest) options are Panasonic and Itronix (General Dynamics).
Those silicone keyboards are, indeed, substantially resistant to dust, modest exposure to any fluid that isn't a nasty solvent, and so forth.
Be warned, though, the keyfeel is bloody awful. Worse than a $5 basic-plastic desktop keyboard. Worse than the worst $350 wal-mart special emachines laptop keyboard you've prayed you'd never have to use again.
There is next to no feedback, audible or tactile, so you find yourself either typing really slowly and watching for each letter to appear, or looking constantly at the keyboard, or really mashing on it. The keys also sort of "roll" under your fingers. Normal keys travel up and down. These ones can tilt and slither sideways just a little bit. Really, really, annoying. Unless either logistics or budget are very tight constraints, I'd just get a crate of basic plastic cheapies and swap them when they die.
If it's got enough computes and actually does what he wants, that's good advice. It's got no moving parts, so dust getting inside it is probably okay, although you'll have to be careful of the screen - I'd use screen protectors religiously, and only change them when you're in a steamy room after showering (I know that sounds weird, but it really does help). The good thing about this solution is that you can keep a couple of keyboards around so that when one of them gets too crapped up to use, you can swap in another one. You can always repair the crapped-up one in your copious free time, but it's good to have spares.
On a similar note, if you need more power, it sounds like HP is coming out with a tablet soon. It would have the same advantages, although you'd probably want to order it with an SSD rather than a spinning hard drive. It would also run windows, so if you're locked in to that solution it might be a better choice for you.
Having said that, I've been working with Macs in a desert environment for a long time, and the worst that's ever happened to me is that the keyboard got squeaky after a while. I don't know if that's because the mac keyboard is better, or I'm better at protecting it, or we don't have as much airborne dust as you do. Probably the latter, in which case my advice might not help that much.
http://laptop.org/en/laptop/hardware/index.shtml
http://laptop.org/en/laptop/hardware/specs.shtml
There is a lightweight version of Windows they can run if you can't make it with "Sugar". You can find them on eBay.
Fine sand is a killer - it gets everywhere.
I used to work on powder processing instrumentation and regularly had to take laptop computers onsite to calibrate instruments. We used to use Dells with external IP-54 keyboards and masking tape over all the unused ports. On a few occasions I had to take a normal keyboard they didn't last more than a few keystrokes (I'd guess 20 per key before they failed).
This was lactose, coal, silica, calcium carbonate, etc. When we started work with metal powder we invested in proper IP54 laptops - no fan, membrane keyboard and rubber plugs on all the ports. Heavy, underpowered (800MHz PIII) but they worked. We looked at some "ruggedised" efforts but without the IP rating they were really just slightly less prone to drop damage.
I use an AMREL Rocky notebook in my field work. Hop out of the helicopter and toss it on the rocks while you unload other gear. Rain? No problem. Dust? No problem, it's completely sealed. The bottom is actually a finned heat sink bonded to the CPU. Since it has no fans/vents, it is a bit under-clocked. But it's awesome. http://www.amrel.com/rugged-computers/default.asp
"You never know when some crazed rodent with cold feet might be running loose in your pants."
-Calvin
It took one really good dust storm to fill my poor MacBook up with Dust (in Australia). Mind you, Apple repaired it under warranty because it was overheating, it's all good now.
Where I live it can hit 122F (with almost no humidity), and it doesn't kill anyone (unless they're stupid). We usually get a month or so of highs at 115F with occasional spikes higher. Drink enough water and stay out of the direct sun and it's perfectly survivable.
And you get used to it... one summer day I was working outside, and thinking what a nice pleasant day it was!! then I went back to the house and checked the thermometer: 118F.
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
The point isn't that Linux will work on every possible device. Of course it may not work on some device, although it works on most.
The point is that your operating system installation and application settings aren't baked in. On Windows you can't copy your hard drive onto a different system and have it work. Your Operating System has been hard coded to your hardware and your application settings are stuck in the registry.
On Linux you can just copy the hard drive onto a new system and the Operating System will figure out, when you boot, what drivers it needs to use. Your application settings are portable and as a bonus they get backed up when you back up your user's data.
On Windows it is a huge time wasting chore to try to move your applications to a new computer. You basically can't and have to reinstall all of them. And forget about moving the Operating System. You can't.
- For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat
You need a laptop rated to Military Standard 810F and IP54. A laptop that meets these standards will survive in the sahara, but only one that does, will.
The Panasonic Toughbook range will meet your needs.
Someone mentioned it above but misspelled it.
Hi you might consider buying one of the computers made by X2 Computers. An English outfit who specialise in making laptops for Firemen, Police men and the military, so their computers are tough, and obviously dust proof too. Having lived in Beijing, where the Gobi desert sent huge sand storm to us, I iknow what you mean about desert dust, it kills machines! Anyhow, here is their URL.. have a look, and good luck. www.x2mc.co.uk/website1
Fanless computers for industrial automation, for example the ones made by Advantech can take LOTS of abuse. They work at coke battery plant, steel plant, sintering plant, ... places that can be at least as hostile as a desert.
A nice example is here:
http://www.advantech.com/eAutomation/fanless-box-pcs/Default.aspx
I suggest: 1. control the environment eg, seal the windows, fit a door closer. 2. get a hard airtight case for when you travel. pelican, kincrome, storm etc... this is when your lappy gets really dusty and hammered most. even cheap tupperware is better than a soft bag. 3. backup store your data elsewhere (2X swapping usb mass store or cloud) data on a laptop does not really exist unless it is backed up. 4. get component based. (eg a small brain, separate DVD, keyboard, memory store, display etc. not so portable, but you can replace bits easy. 5. copy the locals. you live in a remote desert area, reliability is very very very expensive because all the tech is operating at the extremem edge of its design spec. heat, dust, etc... I run a digital music and media studio in the central desert of Australia with about 15 different computers, emacs, mac minis, PC towers, macbook pro, PC laptops, Imacs, printers, scanners etc. (Wilurarra Creative). The red dust is fine and worse, conductive from Ferrous oxides. I have been here for 3 years. I fitted a hydraulic door closer the the front door to cut dust made a HUGE difference. also, seal any draft leaks (duct tape, sealant, whatever). sounds dumb, but mopping the floor of your workspace may help keep dust down.
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