~Toughbooktalk~

So I went to the ASI tech expo over in Itasca last night and I was just sipping some nice Cab minding my own, getting free bags, pens and cookies when I spot what appears to be a CF-31. Naturally I crap my pants and RUN as fast as I could to see it. To much disappointment is was a generic knockoff of the CF-30... So I starting poking at the screen and picking it up and playing with it. It's lighter than the CF-30, has about a 13" widescreen that is also a touchscreen. It is no where NEAR as bright as the CF-30 at full blast.

It has has one hinge, YES ONE! (just like the 18's/19's). It does NOT have a lock on it either! . Now I start looking at all the port covers to find that they are chintzier than the CF-29's (which are pretty damn bad). To say the least it was half the quality of a Toughbook. I now looked very closely as the keyboard and power button. The keyboard was a backlit one very similar to the emissive ones. The power button is on the upper left corner and looks like it would be very easy to get sand beneath it which would make it IMPOSSIBLE to turn on - another terrible flaw. Now I close the lid and start pushing on it to see if it bends... not to bad, it has WAY more give than the CF-30 but nothing like a dull. I wouldn't step on it that's for sure!

Now on to the optical drive, hard drive and battery. The covers that cover these things have a SINGLE latch that no doubt would come loose when dropped. Chintzy is all I could think of to describe those covers... The battery, CD drive and HDD were all easily swappable as well. I looked at the corners and they had about 3/8" of rubber on all the corners as a half assed impact absorber... All 4 corners had little chintzy rings on them as well as to maybe put a strap on it. The handle in the front was covered in thin rubber that moved around WAY TO EASILY when grabbed. The handle was spring loaded which I thought was WAY COOL except for the fact that it would probably just break after a month, God forbid something like sand got in there!

As far as the internals the guy said that they are all running i5's starting with 2GB DDR3 and they run 64GB SSD drives even though that one had a 160GB in it...

Next - I start talking to this guy who knew pretty much NOTHING about this unit (which is funny because the other guy I started talking to said "hold on, this guy here is the EXPERT on the rugged models"). I started asking him about military testing and IP54 and water tests and everything else and he kinda just had a blank stare on his face! USELESS! . I started asking him about pricing and he said "it will cost less than half of a fully rugged Panasonic Toughbook"... I said yeah I would hope so since it is less than half the quality of a CF-30... He just nodded...

Here is the link for the units and when I click on it it has no info: http://www.asipartner.com/Solutions/Mob ... fault.aspx - model R13S (They also have the RT10 which is a knockoff of the H1 field unit which I have NO experience with so I didn't get any info on it since I have nothing to compare it to.)

The pics are FULL res as to show detail so no complaining about scrolling!

Rob - disappointed!

public_downloads/Toughbook%20Knockoff/I ... 0-1816.jpg

public_downloads/Toughbook%20Knockoff/I ... 0-1816.jpg

public_downloads/Toughbook%20Knockoff/I ... 0-1821.jpg

public_downloads/Toughbook%20Knockoff/I ... 0-1959.jpg

This looks like the same one I came across last week called " Durabook " It has the same model number too. http://www.durabook.com/products/R13S.jsp I bet we will not see a video of them running tests like Panasonic did.
Introducing Intel® CentrinoTM Dual-Core mobile technology.

The fully rugged Durabook R13S is manufactured for the mobile computing user that demands performance in the harshest of environments. The R13S meets the Military Standard 810F specification for drop, shock and spill resistance and is rated IP54 for liquid and dust protection. The R13S comes fully incased in magnesium alloy and has protection doors for all the IO ports and connectors. The notebook comes with a sunlight readable 13.3” WXGA convertible LCD scneen that can also be used for tablet applications. The Back Light keyboard allows for easy operation in dark environments. The system’s standard security features include a shock mounted removable hard drive, TPM module and fingerprint recognition. The Durabook R13S, rugged, convertible and secure.
Rugged Features
Drop Resistant: According to MIL STD 810F 516.5, Procedure VI
26 times 91cm height free drop onto wood on concrete

Shock Resistant:
Random Vibration Test (Operating) : According to ASTM 4169-99,
Truck Assurance Level II, Schedule E
Random Vibration (Not-Operating) : According to MIL STD 810F,
Method 514.5, Procedure 1, Category 24, Fig.514.5C-17
Sine vibation(Not-Operating): According to MIL STD 810F, Method 514.5, Procedure 1, Category 24, Fig.514.5C-18

Spill Resistant:
According to MIL STD 810F 506.4, Procedure ll,
IEC 60529 Edition 2.1 :2001-02-IPX4
(International Electro Technical Commission Publication)

Dust Resistance:
According to MIL STD 810F 510.4 Procedure I,
IEC 60529 Edition 2.1 : IP54 Compliant
(International Electro Technical Commission Pubication)
Battery Protection: Li-Lon 9 cell 7800mAh, 6+hrs,
Built-in gauge IC, Charging time : 2.5 hrs to 80%


System Specifications
TPM: TPM 1.2 support
Smart Card: optional

System Specifications
CPU:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo(Merom, Ultra Low Voltage) U7500
Speeds at 1.06GHz TDP 10W

Operating System:
Genuine Windows Vista® Business Edition 32 bits
Genuine Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition

Security Features:
TPM1.2 (Trusted Platform Module Security Chip)
BIOS setup, Power-on, HDD User Password Protection
Fingerprint Recognition
Kensington Lock

RAM:
DDR2-667 MHz DRAM
2X SO-DIMM(up to 4GB), Dual Channel (*Max. 3GB under Windows XP & Vista 32-bit OS)
Keyboard: 86 keys
LED Back Light keyboard
IP54 Compliant
Display: 13.3" Wide ActiveMatrix TFT, WXGA 1280x800
Convertible Display, Sunlight Readable (Factoy option)
CRT Display: up to QXGA 2048 x 1536
USB2.0: x3
Monitor Port: x1
PCMCIA: x1

Storage:
2.5"SATA HDD w/S.M.A.R.T.
Shock-mounted Removeable HDD
SATA HDD Heater ( Pass 810F Cold Start Test )
ODD: Super Multi DVD Burner
Battery: Lithium-Ion 9 Cell

Wireless:
Intel® 4965 802.11 a/g/n

Communications:
WWAN:HSDPA/GPRS/GSM/WCDMA(Factory Option)
Bluetooth BT-183
LAN:10/100/1000Mbps
GPS Receiver support

Temperature:
High Temp: According to MIL STD 810F 501.4 Procedures I
(Storage) and II (Operation)
Low Temp: According to MIL STD 810F 502.4 Procedures I
(Storage) and II, III (Operation)
Operating: Standard 32°F to 122°F
Boot Operating : -4°F to 122°F (with HDD Heater)
Non Operating: -4°F to 158°F

Dimensions & Weight:
344mm(W) x 253mm(D) x 58mm(H) / 13.54’’(W) x 9.96’’(D) x 2.84’’(H)
Weight<4.1Kg / 9.04lbs