Oct/Nov 2007

Possibly the most striking feature of Getac's new rugged mobile computer when you first see it is the ribbed carrying handle, which is bolted to the front edge of the casing. An obvious feature for a laptop that's likely to be carried around a lot, but one not often seen.

There's much more than that to the device, of course. The casing itself is made of magnesium alloy, which is said to reduce overall weight by 25 per cent to less than 3Kg. It has a G-sensor to protect data from sudden drop or accidents, and its shock rating is MIL-STD 810F.

The processor underneath all this is an Intel Core 2 Duo which can be rated at up to 2.16GHz, and which is supported by a 667 MHz FSB and 4MB of level 2 cache memory. Main memory is 512MB of DDR2, expandable up to 2GB, and the standard Serial ATA hard disk has 80GB of capacity (optional 160GB).

The monitor is a 14.1 WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT LCD display, with optional touch screen and optional sunlight-readable display.

 

Other features include a biometric fingerprint reader, and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) or 'Root-of-Trust' access control system. You get built-in 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi wireless connectivity, plus the option of Bluetooth 2.4G, GPRS, 3G and GPS. There is also a built-in 1.3 megapixel camera for video conferencing.