Sept/Oct 2004

Operators using laptop computers in the field need high-powered models suited to running complex graphical map-based applications. That's the rationale behind the launch by Itronix this October of the GoBook III, which it claims to be the most powerful ruggedised laptop ever.

"Traditionally, technology built into ruggedised laptops tends to lag behind the mainstream," senior vice-president Matthew Gerber told m.logistics, "yet users such as field service businesses are increasingly demanding the kind of power they would expect in the latest business computers. So we've pushed our GoBook III range to the forefront of technology."

The specification includes an Intel Pentium M processor running at 1.8GHz, and a 64MB ATI Radeon 9000 graphics card. There is also a quickly-removable 40GB hard disk, with the option of an 80GB model.

The GoBook III is built to Intel's full Centrino specification, using the company's 855 GM chipset, which includes PRO/Wireless 2200 Wi-Fi (802.11B/G) connectivity. Ethernet and Firewire connectivity are included, as is a 56K dial-up modem, while GPRS and Bluetooth are optional.

 

Its ruggedised credentials include IP54 dust and water resistance, and MIL-STD 810F drop test requirements. The ColorVue 12.1in transreflective TFT touchscreen display is unusual, featuring proprietary technology to increase brightness in sunshine, so that it is readable where other units would not be.

The range is the first from Itronix to offer the option of a built-in GPS satellite location module, and the company has developed a unique dish-shaped housing for this at the front of the lid. The thinking, says Gerber, is that this gives the integral antenna a better spread than burying it inside the machine or on a plug-in card, as well as raising it slightly higher when the machine is in use.

The GoBook III runs under Windows XP (Service Pack 2, of course), and the company says this ensures compatibility with current high-powered applications. Gerber says he envisages field engineers using applications to find their way directly to jobs or to locate hidden infrastructure facilities, using GPS-based location and detailed on-screen mapping. "This kind of system simply won't work on a handheld or more moderately specified portable," he says.

Gerber says demand for mobile computing is growing steadily after several lean years. "We're definitely seeing more spending decisions being taken in the public sector," he told us, "as well as in the commercial market.

"Field force management has moved up in terms of its position in the corporate hierarchy, and responsibility for the technology is going back from the operational side to IT departments. The net result is that mobile computing is now one of business's top ten priorities."

Early users of the Gobook III include Las Vegas-based Southwest Gas Corporation, the US military and the US Marines. In Britain the list price is £2,547, although bulk discounts would reduce this.