TechDish: Rugged Laptops, With Plenty of Brawn

Posted on: Fri, 05/20/2011 - 08:48 — us104_techdish

For most of us, a standard consumer or business class laptop will do. But for people out in the field—contractors, emergency and public service personnel, or people with small children—a laptop with a little more ruggedness is needed. And so for today's installment of TechDish, we're talking about laptops with so much brawn, you'll feel they should come with a complimentary flannel shirt and beard!

What makes a rugged laptop so special?

Rugged laptops are built tough, and built to last. If you are looking for a rugged laptop, make sure to pay attention to the following:

• Waterproof or water resistant - To protect from rain, spills or the occasional fire hose.
• Dust proof or dust resistant - Especially for outdoor use, dust covers protecting ports, keyboard, screen and any other open areas where dust could get in and cause issues. Remember, dust in a laptop is bad.
• Shock resistance - The case should be built to absorb shock from falls, drops or clunking around. Furthermore, a shock resistant hard drive is essential to protect your operating system and your data. You want strong? Look for carbon casing. You want Paul Bunyan strong? A Magnesium case is the way to go.
• No fan - Be careful on this one! We've talked about how laptops hate heat, and it seems contradictory to not put a fan in a laptop, unless you are in need of something that can double as a hot plate for frying eggs. However, many rugged laptops have solved the heat problem with alternate cooling methods.
• Outdoor readable display - On a bright day, it takes a certain amount of special to read your laptop's screen outdoors. Look for a screen with special coatings and an extra bright lamp in your rugged laptop.

The big tradeoffs—cost and weight

You're definitely going to be paying a lot more for a ruggedized laptop than you would for a standard consumer model. Think at a minimum, at least $1,000 more. And remember, these things are built like small tanks. You're going to be lugging around an extra-heavy computer, and you'll be glad it's got its own handle!

Warranties

Getting a rugged laptop without a warranty is like going into a demolition derby without auto insurance. It's safe to assume your ruggedized laptop will be taking some dings and scuffs; be aware of what your warranty covers.

Tested and Reviewed

The biggest key when looking at ruggedized laptops is doing your research. There's a lot of brands out there that carry a rugged model or two; but like all technology, it is constantly evolving. Don't bite on a new feature unless you've done your research and read about others' experiences. And lastly, always ask how the laptop you are looking at lines up with the U.S. Government's MIL-STD-810F specifications; a set of specifications used by the U.S. Military designed to test equipment against drops, shock, moisture, dust, exposure to extreme temperatures, and more.