Tough Technology: The Most Rugged Laptops, Phones, Mice, Drives and More
If you imagine that a computer is built tough because it can fall off a desk without breaking, think again. Rugged computers, USB flash drives, mice, phones and other tough tech are designed to comfortably survive unreasonable environments.
Tue, October 16, 2007
Rugged Laptops—Dell Lattitude ATG
The Good: Dell has struck a nice balance between the rugged and the snazzy with the Dell Latitude ATG. This MIL-STD-810-compliant machine has an Intel Pentium 2 Duo Processor and is nicely outfitted with Dell's standard kit for its handy Latitude line. Founded as PC's Limited in 1984, Dell lists the baseline price for the laptop at $2,069.
The Ugly: The sunlight-readable 14.1-inch LCD display is shock-mounted, as is its 80GB hard drive, which is also fitted with rubberized casing. These address two of the most vulnerable points to any laptop health.
The Bad: It's a bit on the heavy side at a little more than 6 pounds, but despite what walks down the runways during Fashion Week, I've been hearing that curves are "in."
Rugged Input—Man & Machine Slim Cool Keyboards and MightyMouse Mice
The Good: Man & Machine is a 25-year-old company with a robust line of water- and contaminant- proof keyboards and mice for medical and industrial environments. While you may not think of the medical industry as particularly wet, apparently they like to clean and disinfect their equipment rather frequently and this involves liquids. Who knew?
The Ugly: Man & Machine's Slim Cool keyboard is the company's waterproof 12-inch model, which retails for $164. The keyboard operates effectively in temperatures from 32°F to 158°F and has a limited lifetime warranty. A model with an integrated touchpad sells for $239.
The company's MightyMouse is waterproof and is completely immersible. Available in black or white, this mouse has a 6-foot cable and is designed for medical, industrial or marine applications. It sells for $99.95.
The Bad: It's a toss-up as to whether you would rather buy your employees waterproof keyboards or just run to a superstore to stock up on a bunch of cheap $20 replacements.
