A notebook (also called laptop) is a device similar to a computer (with the same components, and capable of doing the same tasks) only that much smaller, thinner and lighter than a desktop PC. The notebooks are getting quite really popular these days, and more and more people are preferring them instead of a desktop computer. The laptops are getting smaller and smaller and also lighter, so you can easily take them anywhere you want. But there are also some laptops for which the size and weight is not so important, and these are the rugged notebook computers. A rugged laptop is specially made for solid works and to operate in tough conditions such as: high temperatures, strong vibrations and cold or wet conditions. So even though they are bigger and heavier than the regular notebooks they are much more resistant and they can resist even on the toughest conditions. Usually they are made of magnesium allow materials which are 20 times stronger than the standard plastic found on the commercial laptops. Usually these kinds of notebooks are not used by normal people, but by persons who are working in a tough environment, such as: soldiers, engineers, workers, police-men, firemen and so on.

There are not as many models of rugged notebooks as they are of normal laptops, but there still are some models to choose from. And one of the best laptop for solid works is the Panasonic ToughBook H1 Field. This is a tough device that comes with a 10.4 inch display screen, which is also a tablet PC. So the screen is very flexible and it supports both digital pen and touch input. The technical details are not so advanced like in the regular notebooks so you can’t play a video game or watch a movie, but this is not even the purpose of this notebook. And the features it offers are quite enough for an engineer to do his job, or for other people working in tough environments and using this notebook for job interests only.

We’ll talk about the technical details soon, but for now let’s see what other features it has. It has a weight of 3.4 pounds and it meets the IP 65 standards for all-weather conditions and the MIL-STD- 810 Games standards for resistance at a 6 foot drop. It made out of a magnesium alloy chassis encase in polycarbonate and it also has an integrated handle. The screen includes a circular polarizer and anti-glare and anti-reflective treatments so it is easily viewable in direct sunlight. All of the features and technologies come at a big price, one much bigger than a regular notebook. The price for the Panasonic ToughBook H1 is around 3.300 dollars.

And now here are the complete technical details for this model:

* Genuine Windows 7 (with XP Tablet downgrade option)

* Intel Atom processor Z 540 (1.86 GHz)

* 2 GB RAM

* 64 GB reinforced flex connect Solid State Drive SSD

* 10.4 inch XGA sunlight viewable 500 nit dual touch LCD

* Circular polarizer with anti glare and anti reflective screen treatments

It has a 6 hour battery life thanks to the twin hot swappable batteries. The weight is  3.4 lbs (with both batteries).

It is fully rugged and it is MIL-STD – 810 G certified (6 foot drop), its made of magnesium alloy chassis – encased in polycarbonate, is IP 65 certified sealed all-weather design and has a reinforced flex connect Solid State Drive (SSD). The wide operating temperature range is – 20 C ~ 60 C or -4 F ~ 140 F.

It has all types of connectivity you might need, including : integrated WWAN / Gobi 2000 mobile broadband (EV – DO and HSPA), Intel WiFi Link 5100 802.11 a / b / g /  n

and Bluetooth v 2.1 + EDR . Among the integrated options that it has there are: global positioning system (GPS) receiver, 2 D barcode reader (also 1D capable), 2.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED lights and a RFID reader. To offer extra protection for the important files you store into your toughbook, it comes with optional security features, such as: Fingerprint reader, Contactless SmartCard reader, Insertable SmartCard reader and Integrated docking connector. Its dimensions are:  10.4 ” (L) x 10.6 ” (W) x 1.3 ” – 2.3 ” (H). So here was an example of a tough notebook computer. In case you too own this model, or any other similar one, tell us more about it, and about the though conditions that you put it to the test.