If you are a professional engaged in field services, you need a notebook that can withstand the challenges of a hectic lifestyle. Rugged notebooks are designed for people like you. Getac Technology Corporation, the world’s third largest manufacturer of rugged computing solution, has recently launched its latest ruggedized product, a 15.6-inch notebook, dubbed Getac X500.

Getac X500 Features

Rugged Design

Getac X500 is touted to be the first fully equipped ruggedized military grade commercial notebook. It features the standard specifications of a high-end notebook inside a tough body. The fully rugged notebook meets the most stringent military specifications including MIL-STD-810G and IP65. It can withstand extreme low pressure on high altitudes. It can operate in extreme high and low temperatures. The military grade notebook could function in temperatures as low as -20-degree Celsius and as high as 60-degree Celsius. Hence, you can carry this device to freezing snow-covered locales as well as in hot deserts.

The rugged notebook is waterproof and dust resistant. It remains unharmed when exposed to salt fog, vibrations and shock. A shock-proof removable hard disk drive is present inside the notebook. Almost ninety percent of the notebook’s body is crafted out of fungus resistant rubber, metal and plastic. The full magnesium alloy case enhances the durability of the 16.1-inch long, 11.4-inch wide and 2.4-inch thick rugged notebook. Getac X500 weighs 5.2kg.

Processor

Consumers have the option of buying the Getac fully rugged notebook with either Intel Core i5-520M or Intel Core i7-620M CPU. The built-in Intel Graphics Media Accelerator HD supports high-definition graphics. To enhance the quality of the graphics displayed on the screen of the notebook further, customers can opt for a Getac X500 notebook equipped with NVDIA GeForce GT330M 512MB GPU. The base model will come with 2GB DDR3 RAM, which is enough to meet robust computing speed. You can also customize your rugged notebook by expanding the RAM up to 8GB.

Operating System

Getac X500 is compatible with Windows Vista Business and Windows 7 Professional operating system.

Display

It sports a 15.6-inch, 1366×768-pixel high-definition LCD touch screen. The unique anti-reflection technology embedded in the Getac QuadraClear Sunlight Readable display of the device eliminates glare even while viewing the display in bright sunlight. According to Getac, this innovative display technology delivers images that are more than six times better that that of its rivals when viewed in bright daylight. The screen boasts of 1000nits brightness. The display also supports night vision. In the optional night vision mode, users can view the notebook screen in the dark through special night vision goggles.

Keyboard

A membrane keyboard is present in the rugged notebook. Customers might even opt for a LED backlit membrane keyboard. Unlike the keys on physical keyboards, the keys on membrane keyboards do not have separate entities. They are actually pressure pads that are differentiated from each other with symbols and outlines. You might not experience the tactile feedback that one feels while typing on a physical keyboard. Its dust and spill resistance property makes the membrane keyboard a natural choice for a rugged notebook. However, absence of tactile feedback might slow your typing speed. It might be especially difficult to maintain an error free blind typing speed.

Connectivity

To support speedy internet browsing and robust data transfer speed, 10/100/1000 base-T Ethernet and Wi-Fi are installed in the notebook. Getac X500 offers several optional connectivity features. Customers could add Bluetooth, GPS and Gobi 2000 mobile broadband to the rugged device. Other prominent attributes of the device include one external VGA port, two serial ports, one microphone mini jack output, an audio output port, HDMI and four USB 2.0 ports. It offers smart card reader, ExpressCard and PC card slots.

Storage

Getac X500 comes with 320GB hard drive storage space.

Applications

The rugged notebook from the Taiwanese manufacturer will be shipped with preloaded software and security applications. Adobe Reader, Getac Camera, Getac Utility and Getac V-GPS software are preloaded in the notebook. The sensitive documents stowed in the notebook could be protected from unscrupulous elements with fingerprint scanner, Kensington lock, smart card reader, Intel vPro Technology and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2. The military grade notebook supports software that shifts images between 2D and 3D views. This feature of Getac X500 is especially suitable for military software that converts 2D images into 3D to locate the exact locations of enemy or other forces.

Price

Depending upon the level of customization, the ultra rugged notebook will cost between $4999 and $6599.

Comparison with similar products

Getac X500 vs. Panasonic Toughbook 52

Panasonic Toughbook 52 is a 15.4-inch notebook in Panasonic’s rugged notebook portfolio. The upgraded Toughbook 52 model shares several features with Getac X500. Both the devices are powered with Intel Core i3 or i5 processors. They are equipped with 2GB RAM that is expandable to 8GB. Security features such as fingerprint reader and TPM are present in both the devices.

The external casings of both the notebooks are made out of magnesium alloy. Compared with the membrane keyboard of Getac X500, the 87-key standard keyboard of Panasonic Toughbook is perhaps more suitable for typing. The anti-reflection technology integrated in the display of Getac X500 makes it more suitable for outdoor use. Getac X500 is slightly larger and heavier than the Panasonic notebook. It is also more durable than its rival is.

Getac X500 vs. Dell Latitude E6420 XFR

The MIL-STD-810G and IP-65 certified Dell Latitude E6420 XFR is as tough as Getac X500. Just like Getac X500, Dell Latitude E6420 XFR features a multi touch display. However, the ruggedized notebook from Dell sports a smaller 14-inch screen.

The anti-reflection technology embedded in the displays of both the notebooks minimizes glares while viewing the screen in bright sunlight. Dell has launched the Latitude notebook with Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 dual core processor. The Getac rugged notebook is available with either i3 or i5 single core processor. The dual core processor will enhance the productivity of Dell Latitude E6420 XFR. Both the devices feature similar RAM and GPU. Wireless LAN and Wi-Fi are present in the rugged notebooks.