Rugged Laptop/Tablet Suggestions, 2010 Version? 249
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."
EliteBook (Score:5, Informative)
get a small netbook... (Score:1, Informative)
then underclock it.
then laminate it.
Re:get a small netbook... (Score:3, Informative)
I was thinking along the same lines. You have three basic issues in the desert:
1) exposed vents / heat. it has to be able to stay cool and either have a filter on the vents or no vents
Doesn't the iPad lack vents? Otherwise you almost need to screen/filter them in. Could be tricky. Someone may make a laptop case for a specific model or models of laptop that have a filter over the vent locations? Camera could be a problem for the ipad. (you can get them removed, and apple can offer the service iirc)
2) exposed keyboard - you could use a keyboard cover, and use some rubber cement, doublestick tape whatever to seal around the edges. keeping the trackpad button clean could be challenging. Most laptops support trackpad clicking anyway so you may not need the button to stay working.
3) exposed ports - I don't think this is going to be an easy one without a ruggedized design. Good packing tape over any ports you're not using for starters.
It doesn't look like the poster is concerned about a drop-proof machine, he's just trying to keep the sand and dust out of it, so most ruggedized designs are overkill for protection (I don't think "waterproof" is on his list!) and will be underpowered as a result due to cooling issues.
As far as "more usb ports" goes, get a hub. Most net books are only going to have 1 or 2 usb ports anyway, and hubs are cheap to replace. I'd expect usb ports to wear out quickly though in a sandy/gritty environment.
Rugged Notebooks (Score:5, Informative)
They have notebooks with sealed keyboards, low reflectivity (especially greate for the desert conditions
Field notebooks (Score:5, Informative)
Dell Outlet (Score:5, Informative)
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 [dell.com]
A fan-less computer (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:iPad is still better. (Score:3, Informative)
Itronix Duo-Touch II (Score:3, Informative)
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 [gd-itronix.com]
It is pricey as Itronix was purchased by General Dynamics but is mil rated.
Re:Use a disposable laptop (Score:5, Informative)
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.
Re:Oddball Suggestion... (Score:5, Informative)
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.
The iPad comment was a joke.. (Score:2, Informative)
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 [dell.com]
New leaders? (Score:4, Informative)
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).
Re:Oddball Suggestion... (Score:3, Informative)
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.
Re:iPad is still better. (Score:3, Informative)
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.
OLPC (Score:5, Informative)
http://laptop.org/en/laptop/hardware/index.shtml [laptop.org]
http://laptop.org/en/laptop/hardware/specs.shtml [laptop.org]
There is a lightweight version of Windows they can run if you can't make it with "Sugar". You can find them on eBay.
Re:Use a disposable laptop (Score:5, Informative)
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.
AMREL Rocky (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Apple (Score:4, Informative)
Re:At that temp the operator dies anyway (Score:3, Informative)
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.
Re:Use a disposable laptop (Score:3, Informative)
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.
Panasonic Toughbook (Score:1, Informative)
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.
Re:Field notebooks (Score:3, Informative)
I can throw my vote in for the Toughbooks. We use them internally and we setup the fully rugged models for our customers to use in the middle of chemical plants and refineries. So far we see very few of them come back with issues and the ones we do see come back someone has screwed up the applications on it.
Now against sand I would think they would be pretty good. Every entry point into the laptop is covered by a latching door that is fully sealed when closed.
Kage_
Re:Dell Outlet (Score:2, Informative)
I work in a coal mine and they bought us the Dells. They have been nothing but problems. Mine alone has had a motherboard failure and a wireless card die. The keyboard is a disaster. Trying to blind type with it is almost impossible. My computer shuts itself down regularly for overheating problems. The Panasonic toughbooks blow them away.
Built for truly rough conditions (Score:2, Informative)
Use fanless computer designed for industrial autom (Score:2, Informative)
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 [advantech.com]
Re:Field notebooks (Score:3, Informative)
There are models that meet MIL-STD-810 [wikipedia.org].
No there aren't! There is no such thing as 'meeting MIL-STD-810 standard'!
MIL-STD-810, "Department of Defense Test Method Standard for Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests" suggests how certain environmental conditions, such as vehicle vibration and ballistic shock, could be simulated in the laboratory. For some of these test methods it also suggests parameters and limits for different applications. A large part of the standard is devoted to explaining how the tests should be chosen and tailored for the particular application in order to produce relevant data for the engineering process. There is no certifying authority to give you a badge of approval if you pass some test, as there are no standard test facilities for these tests either!
Compare this to for example the IP Code [wikipedia.org] which has specific descriptions and limits on what a device has to withstand in order to be specified in the IP class. Further more there are independent test companies [ul.com] with the standardized test facilities to give you a certificate that the device can indeed withstand environmental conditions equivalent to a specific IP class.
Further more no actual product could 'comply' with all the test methods in the 810 standard. With anything with more functionality than a metal brick one would have to limit the test methods and parameters for it to survive them. Consequently a manufacturer would have to specify which methods and what parameters and test configurations were used in order for anyone to deduce if the product might survive some environmental condition.
The truth is, most products that have MIL-STD-810 slapped on them have never been tested - merely 'designed to meet' some arbitrary interpretation of the standard ... The funny thing is, Panasonic Toughbooks have indeed been tested extensively - there are cool videos of the tests on their website - but those tests are IP Class tests which they have to perform.
Desert tech workspace. Minimise dust in gear tips. (Score:2, Informative)