Tech Treks » Dell's Rugged Laptop: Tough Enough for the Army?

March 14, 2007 | Comments: (0)

Dell's Rugged Laptop: Tough Enough for the Army?

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Back in my first blog entry, I talked about the glut of new ruggedized laptops on the market. Soon after, Dell joined the fray with the Latitude ATG (All Terrain Grade)--their classic business notebook suited up in what I thought must be armor when I tried to lift it out of the box (it weighs about 7 pounds). It's actually made of the same magnesium alloy materials and steel hinges as many laptop cases, just more of it. Dell claims this super-case passes the army's MIL-STD 810F durability standards for humidity, vibration, altitude, and dust, making this a perfect system for engineers, construction managers, cops, etc.

Dell's giving me a chance to vet this claim by sending me a Latitude ATG, which I plan to trek around town with over the next couple of months (or until my back gives out). This timeframe will give me an opportunity to do what the normal, single-shot review can't: report back on how the system fares over a period of months rather than days, which is about how long the typical reviewer has before s/he makes the call about whether or not to buy a product. This isn't nearly long enough.

When I booted up the Latitude ATG, the first thing I noticed was how the display looked particularly bright--which it should, being that it's 500 nits. It's pretty rare when a laptop screen stands out against the crowd. We'll see whether the screen (and the fast Core Duo processor) end up taxing battery life too much as I continue to take the system along on my daily commute this month.

Posted by Stephanie Bruzzese on March 14, 2007 09:18 PM

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