Thanks one and all for the useful responses to my Ecolog query last week. Below is a summary of useful comments I received off-list. Hope this helps others. Colin
---My original post---- Anyone have recommendations on (or personal experience with) rugged laptops or tablets for use in the field? Specifically, I am mostly interested in communication with dataloggers and good performance in cold climates. Comments on general features, such as screen visibility in sunlight and sensitivity to the elements etc are welcome too. ----------------------- Check out the Trimble Nomad. Not sure if this is what you are looking for but it is definitely a hardy unit http://www.trimble.com/Outdoor-Rugged-Computers/nomad.aspx?dtID=features A colleague likes the Toshiba Toughbook I've had a couple of Acer netbooks that I've used for several years to download HOBO loggers in the field and collect radar data (GPR). It probably doesn't get as cold here (we've only been out as low as single digits) but the battery performance has been good and I find the screen plenty bright. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for - mine are only out for day use - or if you're looking for something that will be out longer. For use in wetlands of northern Alberta, Canada and near Fairbanks, AK we just use standard laptops with RS232 ports or netbooks with USB adapters and transport them in a Pelican case. Way less expensive and more comfortable to use when not in the field. And the battery life (particularly for the netbooks) is outstanding without adding too much weight to have to pack in. Glare is an issue, as is using it in the rain. We also have problems at times with the USB-Serial adapter and some of our dataloggers where they'll just stop working together for some reason. Having a direct serial port definitely helps with those issues. I know Pelican and Otterbox make some extreme cases for laptops and tablets used in the cold weather. They sell insulated cases to keep your gear warm for use. Many of my friends have used their products for their gear when working out in the field. As for the cold weather, the cases have their limitations, but usually state the specifications as to which conditions they can successfully perform. We use a generic Dell Netbook for downloading data loggers - it is a bit difficult when software doesn't adjust to the small screen size, but we've got that figured out. I don't know if this helps at all, because I work in the Amazon (warm climate). But I've been using my Panasonic Toughbook in the field and like it a lot. I don't take it into the forest with me to collect data, but rather keep it at camp. It's been rained on and never had a problem. It's also lightweight and has great battery life. The only problem is that they cost too much, in my opinion. Lenovo Thinkpads are some of the toughest laptops out there. They comply to "military specs" for durability. Here is one of many articles about that: http://www.slashgear.com/eight-lenovo-thinkpads-hit-military- rugged-standards-2335468/ I have many friends with Thinkpads, and I now have a T420 myself. They are the absolute best for a Windows machine. About screen visibility -- flat, not glossy screens are best in the field. Thinkpads have screens like this and I can say that they are much better than the glossy types that I have had in the past. I have done a lot of datalogger work with a HP laptop that had a glossy screen and it was tough on sunny days. I had to put a jacket over myself and the laptop to see the screen. One final note, Thinkpads are not totally waterproof, nor can you run them over with a truck. So, buying an Acer for $200 is not a bad idea if you want a dedicated field laptop or a have a tight budget. I recommend a used Thinkpad. One of my colleagues has used the "Toughbook" in the field. I think it's made by Panasonic. He's in the field right now so I can't ask how well it has performed. I know it's fairly small which could make it difficult to use. Panasonic Toughbooks are super rugged and I've never had any cold- related issues with them. I have used them in near-freezing conditions in the mountains of southern Arizona (for downloading climate station dataloggers), but not as cold as it gets in your neck of the woods. All of the ports have nice rubber closures to keep the elements out, they have a carry strap and can generally take a lot of abuse. As I recall they also made sunshades that snap directly onto the screen, but I never used them. The one we use is a "Panasonic toughbook". We use it for transfering data from YSI data loggers and river surveyor devices. It's definitely tough and durable, not sure about temperature sensitivity. The coldest temp we ever used it was around 33F in Southern California. I have used the GETAC E100 which is not very rugged at all - 80cm fall and the screen cracked - wouldnt cover it in warranty ended up costing 700 euro While I've never used one myself, the panasonic toughbook or toughpad is probably your best bet. They have a wide range of notebooks and tablets that vary in weight and toughness. A friend of mine punted his across the room for laughs one time... still worked fine. We have used Panasonic Toughbooks (ruggedized laptop) for years and found them very useful but replaced our last one last year with a Motion F5v tablet(http://www.motioncomputing.com/products/tablet_pc_f5.asp) and love it. Lots (LOTS) lighter, easy to carry, and works well with all our dataloggers and other equipment. We had compatibility issues with any of our equipment (we were wondering also becuae our other field laptops were XP and this came with Windows 7). Can view screen very well in sunlight. Potential issues could be the number and location of USB ports and the lack of a real keyboard (but the virtual keyboard and handwriting recognition both work well). We didn't find these to be a problem. Nothing is perfect in the field but the crew loved the Motion tablet and would fight over who got to take it if we needed to go to more than one site. Cheers were heard in the hall when we bought a second Motion tablet. P.S. I know of no one else who has a Motion tablet -- we just found it on the web and then borrowed one for a trial. I was contacted by Juniper Systems, who make handheld rugged computers. They are owned by Campbell Scientific. http://www.junipersys.com/
