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 Laptop—General Dynamics Itronix GoBook XR-1
The Good: When General Dynamics bought Itronix in 2007, it knew it was getting a manufacturer that understood the military and defense industries. The Spokane, Wash., vendor has been building rugged wireless computing products since 1987, and yes, I said wireless computing.
The 6.8-pound GoBook XR-1 is nicely loaded with an Intel Pentium Duo core, up to 4GB SDRAM, and removable, shock-resistant SATA disk drives. It ships with internal GPS standard. Designed for expansive Radio Frequency (RF) coverage, the GoBook also has CRMA-Express (Common Radio Module Architecture) upgradable wireless technology, WAN, WLAN and Bluetooth.
The Ugly: The GoBook is MIL-STD-810F-compliant and has passed a number of other tests for similar rugged standards. It's the perfect computer for typing in the rain, in subzero weather, or during a high-speed golf-cart race around a really tough course. Its 12.1-inch outdoor-viewable VGA display has built-in touch screen capability and a glow-in-the-dark keyboard.
The Bad: The sticker shock is a killer, so brace yourself. The base configuration costs more than $4,000. Just keep telling yourself that the GoBook has everything, even a stealth mode for sound and light-free boot-up.
Rugged Thumb—IronKey Enterprise Special Edition USB Flash Drive
The Good: IronKey is a military-grade USB drive that is hardware AES encrypted, which means it needs no additional hardware or software security tools to protect its data. Each drive has an easy-to-read serial number and is available in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB capacities.
As its name suggests, the IronKey drive is encased in epoxy-sealed metal. The company has a secure sessions service; when installed on your drive, it allows privacy while you're surfing the Net, even on public computers. According to the company, the service creates an encrypted tunnel to IronKey's network routing servers, operating like a virtual private network. Prices range from $79 to $149.
The Ugly: MIL-STD-810F-compliant, the drive is tamper-resistant and waterproof. Streamlined and snazzy looking, it's also the prettiest product on our rugged list.
The Bad: The Los Altos, Calif.-based company has an admirable security roster, including a chairman who sits on the board of RSA Security, but it was founded in 2005, making it the new kid on this rugged block.
