Rugged Notebooks Guide

For an architect, should I go with the Toughbook since they’ve been around more, or some rugged laptop from Getac?

I’ve been searching for a computer backpack of good, durable quality that I won’t have to worry about ripping up or breaking seams on. I was initially satisfied with my Ful backpack with its 1680d ballistic nylon outer shell, but the failure of the inner linings and lack of chest/waist straps were its downfall. I would like to find something of similar material but more versatile–something I can carry books/laptop in for school, but also a camera/tripod/clothing/junk gear/etc in for hiking or climbing. Along with being able to accommodate a laptop, it should have chest/waist straps, a durable material (preferably nylon for rain resistance), and obviously portability.
I have been interested in hiking/military style bags. The military bags are rugged, but I’d rather avoid something that looks like it belongs on the back of a humvee, and hiking bags are generally too big or ill-suited for carrying a laptop or school items. I was interested in the Oakley AP pack http://www.oakley.com/products/ap-backpack-3-0/92151-001 but the material is only a 400d polyester.

I know this seems like the impossible pack, but any bag or brand suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks!!

I’m traveling to Europe in a couple of months. I’m taking my DSLR, a couple of lenses, and my laptop.

My problem is I don’t have much space on my hard drive on my laptop, but I want to have it to Photoshop images when I have down time. I do shoot raw and lots of bracketed shots. I’ve been needing a storage backup system for some time any way.

I was looking at the Epson P7000, but too expensive for me. I was looking also at a Wolverine Pic Pac II, cheap, but not getting great reviews. I know that these are stand alone back up devices, but wasn’t sure of the cheaper models.

I’m leaning towards the LaCie Rugged All-Terrain 500 GB FireWire 800/ FireWire 400/USB 2.0 7200RPM Portable External Hard Drive since I’ll have my computer anyway. And no, I certainly don’t plan on using a 500gb drive, but for 0, why not get the space.

It also comes with a year of online storage which would give me peace of mind as well. Although not sure how slow that would be uploading from a hotel wireless. Not even sure how large of files they would take.

Just wondering how you might suggest to handle such a storage issue?

Thanks.

I was considering buying a laptop, and the XO-1 (AKA 0 laptop) appeals to me, because it apparently works in direct sunlight, is rugged, consumes little power, etc., and they send one to a kid in a developing country for every one you buy. It currently costs 9.
But what are the disadvantages? I don’t know anything about computers, so please pretend you’re talking to a baby in your answer.
Any signs that the price will be going down in the next few years?

this is the one i just ordered from new egg….

Western Digital Scorpio Black WD3200BEKT 320GB 7200 RPM 2.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Notebook Hard Drive – OEM
Cache: 16MB
Average Seek Time: 12ms
Average Latency: 5.5ms
Windows Vista: Works with Windows Vista
Features: Desktop-class performance for notebook computers Massive capacity Low power consumption Quiet Reliable and rugged Tested for compatibility
Parts: 5 years limited
Labor: 5 years limited
Model #: WD3200BEKT
Item #: N82E16822136280
Return Policy: 30 Day Return Policy

they also have one step up but this one is out of stock!
Model
Brand Seagate
Series Momentus 7200.4
Model ST9500420AS
Performance
Interface SATA 3.0Gb/s
Capacity 500GB
Cache 16MB
RPM 7200 RPM
Physical Spec
Form Factor 2.5"

so my question is… do you think i should be happy with the first choice? is it going to give me the performance i want? or get the step up? if you do think i should get the step up then tell me where else i can get it?

Can anyone recommend a good tablet pc for me?

I want it to be lightweight, portable, stylish, yet rugged.

I would like to use it for traditional computing as well as for music, pictures, maybe some light gaming, and most importantly AutoCAD and hopefully Photoshop or Illustrator.

Can you actually draw in AutoCAD with a tablet PC, or a comparable program such as Google Sketchup?

Any advice is welcome. I know a fair amount about computers, but am quite unfamiliar with tablet pc’s.

Thanks

I’m VERY tired in investing in newer laptops just for them to break down within a year of moderate use, by break down I mean physically. Most laptops I have bought just end up being flimsy and because of it, can’t be very rugged.

So, what I’m saying is that new laptops are wimpy and I’m wanting to look into getting an older laptop that is much sturdier and still has enough horsepower.

Also, the reason why I want to get an older one is because I am on a budget, I can’t afford a ,000 laptop all the time.

I am looking for a laptop. The laptop must be Pentium 4 or higher and must NOT be an IBM computer, so if you folks have any suggestions or have had past laptops that have been good to you and you would like to share, please do.

i’m going off to college next year, and gonna be majoring in computer science, and need a good laptop to go with that.

obviously i need to be able to program on it
i plan to take notes on it (instead of on paper)
i do a little graphic design work
i do some video and sound editing, mostly as a hobby
i’d like to be able to dual boot with ubuntu or some other linux distro
i’m thinking about some 3d design/animation, again mostly as a hobby
i’d like to be able to play games on it. mostly wow and half life 2 right now, as well as a bunch of older games, but i’m not limiting myself to that
for whatever reason, my laptops get pretty beat up really quick, so it should be pretty rugged.
i need some decent battery life.

so i need an all-around pretty good laptop, that will stand up to a lot of abuse, that doesn’t need to be constantly plugged in. i’m not especially partial to any brand. i’ve usually had pretty good luck with sony vaios, or gateways, but i’m not gonna limit myself to that. a mac would be nice, but i’d like to have windows and linux as well and a triple boot feels like it might be pushing it. i’d also like to be able to upgrade to windows 7 later on.

and i’d like to not spend too much more than about 2000, ideally less, after all, i’m gonna be a poor college student who lives off ramen noodles.

any suggestions?

I am planning a cross country (us) cycle/backpacking/camping trip for myself and my kids. I hope to set off in early June as soon as school is out. Two of them have autism (one of which is severely involved, the other high functioning) and the third will be two in april. So, i need something extremely lightweight, portable and able to run off nature as much as possible. this is not for a nightly basis but for extreme circumstances when the kids (and myself of course) will need some relief. this adventure will take us throughout the next year + through rugged and extreme conditions from time to time. We will also be cycling, myself and my 10yr-old son will be the only peddlers. My oldest is too severe (disabled) to assist and obviously the 2-yr-old can’t help much. so we have to minimize weight as much as possible but have enough supplies to keep us safe and healthy. I am contemplating a 600amp power pack to use for nightly computer logging, occasional heating, occasional cooling (undetermined unit so far), occasional movie watching (dvds on comp), and mp3 and track phone charging. This pack can be hooked to a solar pannel for charging during the days while we ride and the pack weighs about 30lbs (another small child), but it also includes am/fm radio, alarm clock, ac and dc outlets, some models even have air compressors. Obviously we will have the smabeginningpumps due to tire repairs and air matress needs but i thought for 30lbs this includes several items in one and can be charged with solar. it can also be charged with a cord when access to plug is available. The tent we’ve decided on is rather large (up to 8 peeps) for the 4 of us. We have quite the convoy of family chariot trikes and trailers assembled. I really want to have a cooling device for those exhausting days – which i’m sure we will have many of, especially in the beginning until our bodies adjust. No need to cool the entire tent but an area to create relief. Any advice on cooling and power units that meet these needs would be greatly appreciated.

Val

-> What the Program is: <-

http://laptop.org/en/index.shtml

Mission Statement: To create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. They learn, share, create, and collaborate. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.

-> My Question: <-
Hi! I love the idea of this organization and I would LOVE to spend 0.00 and both get a laptop and give a laptop to someone in the 2nd and 3rd world but I’m wondering if it would be a computer that I could use or if I should give it to someone I know for x-mas.

I’m VERY confused about what the specs are for this system and was wondering if you could help me figure our if the laptop could, say, run QuickBooks and Microsoft Word or if it is just a “Look Stuff Up” sort of “Toy” as apposed to something that I could work with.

I’m NOT complaining… I’m just trying to figure out what it is capable of BEFORE I send the money because I want to know if it would be for ME or if I would give it to a friend or a friend’s child.

If I can’t use the one they will send me, I will donate 0.00 to them just because I am so thrilled with their goals. (And since the new version comes out in 2010, I will donate NOW and buy then perhaps…)

I saw about this organization back a year or two ago on 60 min’s… So I’m happy to see that they are still going strong!!

Thank you very much for any help you can provide.

-> The Specs of the device itself: <-

http://laptop.org/en/laptop/hardware/specs.shtml

Physical dimensions
Approximate dimensions: 242mm×228mm×32mm;
Approximate weight: 1.45KG with LiFeP battery; 1.58KG with NiMH battery;
Configuration: Convertible laptop with pivoting, reversible display; dirt- and moisture-resistant system enclosure; no fan.

Core electronics
CPU: x86-compatible processor with 64KB each L1 I and D cache; at least 128KB L2 cache; AMD Geode LX-700@0.8W (datasheet);
CPU clock speed: 433 Mhz;
ISA compatibility: Support for both the MMX and 3DNow! x86 instruction-set extensions; Athlon instruction set (including MMX and 3DNow! Enhanced) with additional Geode-specific instructions;
Companion chips: PCI and memory interface integrated with CPU; North Bridge: PCI and Memory Interface integrated with Geode CPU; AMD CS5536 South Bridge (datasheet);
Graphics controller: Integrated with Geode CPU; unified memory architecture;
Embedded controller: ENE KB3700 or ENE KB3700B;
DRAM memory: 256 MiB dynamic RAM;
Data rate: Dual — DDR333 — 166 Mhz;
1024KB SPI-interface flash ROM;
Mass storage: 1024 MiB SLC NAND flash, high-speed flash controller;
Drives: No rotating media;
CAFE ASIC (Camera, Flash Enabler chip, provides high-performance Camera, NAND FLASH and SD interfaces); Marvell 88ALP01: (CAFE specification).

Display
Liquid-crystal display: 7.5” Dual-mode TFT display;
Viewing area: 152.4mm × 114.3mm;
Resolution: 1200 (H) × 900 (V) resolution (200 DPI);
Monochrome display: High-resolution, reflective sunlight-readable monochrome mode; Color display: Standard-resolution, Quincunx-sampled, transmissive color mode;
LCD power consumption: 0.1 Watt with backlight off; 0.2–1.0 Watt with backlight on;
The display-controller chip (DCON) with memory that enables the display to remain live with the processor suspended; the display and this chip are the basis of our extremely low power architecture; the display controller chip also enables de-swizzling and anti-aliasing in color mode.

Integrated peripherals
Keyboard: 80+ keys, 1.0mm stroke; sealed rubber-membrane key-switch assembly;
Keyboard layout details;
Keyboard layout pictures: international, Thai, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, West African, Urdu, Mongolian, Cyrillic, Amharic;
Gamepad: Two sets of four-direction cursor-control keys;
Touchpad: Dual capacitance/resistive touchpad; supports written-input mode; ALPS Electric Dual capacitive/resistive touchpad;
Audio: AC97-compatible audio audio subsystem; internal stereo speakers and amplifier; internal monophonic microphone; jacks for external headphones and microphone; Analog Devices AD1888 and Analog Devices SSM2211 for audio amplification;
Wireless networking: Integrated 802.11b/g (2.4GHz) interface; 802.11s (Mesh) networking supported; dual adjustable, rotating coaxial antennas; supports diversity reception; capable of mesh operation when CPU is powered down; Marvell Libertas 88W8388 controller and 88W8015 radio;
Status indicators: Power, battery, WiFi (2); visible when lid is open or closed; microphone in-use and camera in-use visible when lid is open;
Video camera: integrated color vision camera; 640×480 resolution at 30FPS; Omnivision OV7670.

External connectors
DC