PANASONIC'S RUGGED LAPTOPS: NOT TOUGH ENOUGH
Hard-luck tale No. 1: The flight attendant was reaching into the overhead bin to pull down a bag when it got tangled up with a passenger's laptop case. The computer crashed six feet to the airplane floor. Needless to say, it was toast.
Horror story No. 2: A 120-pound pet Rotweiler barreled into the desk with such ferocity that the dog caused the notebook PC resting there to go flying. The machine was DOA.
Panasonic began eliciting these accounts about a year ago, when it asked mobile professionals how their laptops bit the dust. It was all part of an effort to trumpet Panasonic's Toughbook line of portable computers. These notebooks are shielded in part or full by a magnesium case that the company claims is 20 times stronger than the normal plastic used on typical portables. Toughbooks are also designed with hard drives that are protected by a shock-absorbing gel compound, and keyboards that, Panasonic maintains, are dirt, dust, and spill-resistant.
The conceit behind these "ruggedized" machines is that absent some additional safeguards, laptops are in a constant state of peril. After all, legions of notebook users appear to have a severe case of the dropsies, and many other folks are awfully clumsy around computers with their cups of java and other liquids. According to International Data Corp, an information technology research firm in Framingham, Mass., damage to notebook computers will cost large and medium-sized U.S. organizations more than $700 million this year and more than $1 billion by 2000.
HERCULES? Of course, how much protection you think you need depends on the circumstances in which you expect to use the computer. Panasonic calls the industrial-strength Toughbook 27 the Hercules of the notebook crowd and aims it at cops, construction workers, farmers, and other outdoorsy types. The machine can operate in a rainstorm and withstand temperatures from minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit to plus 140. It boasts a water-resistant keyboard, LCD, and touchpad. Besides the shock-absorbing gel, the machine's hard drive is encased in stainless steel. The company also says the machine can withstand a three-foot drop onto a hard surface, from 26 different angles.
Of course, you'll pay for this piece of mind. With a price tag of around $4,499 and a weight, including the lithium ion battery, of more than 8 pounds, the 27 is a backbreaker in more ways than one. Panasonic says the machine commands about a two-grand premium over a nonarmored machine with comparable specs -- it's a 266-MHz Pentium MMX, with 32 megabytes of RAM, a 4 gig removable hard drive, and 12.1-inch active-matrix color display.
The Toughbook 71 model that I tested is a tad easier on your wallet and your person, and Panasonic is marketing the unit to business people on the go. At $3,149, the 71 is a 6.4-pound, 266-MHz Pentium II, with specs that are otherwise comparable to the 27.
I couldn't help but wonder if the extra protective padding on this particular tough guy was worth the cash, and I came to believe the answer is no. By way of comparison, a conventional notebook, such as the WinBook XL2 that I've also been looking at lately, costs about the same as the Toughbook 71, yet boasts a far speedier processor (300 Mhz, Pentium II), plus a larger active-matrix screen, DVD-ROM player, and other standard goodies.
DAUNTING DISCLAIMER. Moreover, based on my own informal tests, the Toughbook 71 is like one of those schoolyard bullies who isn't as mean as he pretends. It looks strong inside that handsome full magnesium-alloy case, complete with a detachable carry handle. But one of the first things I was drawn to when I started reading the manual was a disclaimer. "This computer has been designed so as to minimize shock to the LCD and hard disk drive, the leakage of liquid (e.g. water) from the keyboard etc., but no warranty is provided against such trouble." That followed a lengthy list of no-nos: prevent shock, avoid extreme heat or cold, do not place the computer in the trunk of car, keep small objects such as paper clips at a distance, and so on. Sounded kind of wimpy to me.
Maybe, I reckoned, Panasonic was being overcautious for the company lawyers. So I began my own set of tests. With the machine turned on, I lifted it about a foot above my kitchen table and let go. Whew! It kept working, and I have to admit I was pretty impressed. There's no way I would have tried such a feat with the aforementioned WinBook, for example. Next, I decided to see what this "spill-resistant keyboard" was all about, as opposed to the "water-resistant keyboard, LCD, and touchpad," of the 27. I sprinkled hot coffee and then a splash of seltzer on the keyboard, but I was careful to avoid the touchpad. And like a Timex, it kept on ticking.
The machine wasn't out of the woods. Later that evening, after it was shut, I picked it up and gently (honest!) bounced the sealed case off my fridge door. Then I turned it on. Trouble. I heard an alarming beep noise that went on for several seconds, then up popped an error code that signified "keyboard error." I was able to ignore the message, and run Windows 95. But each time I've logged on since, including after trying to run the Toughbook setup utility, I've been greeted with the same whiny sound and same error code. Once more, I could start up in Windows, but I kept hearing more nasty beeps. And while using a word processor, my keyboard kept misbehaving -- repeatedly typing the letter "J" or "V" or another randomly chosen letter as if the associated key was stuck in the down position.
Perhaps I stretched the limits of the Toughbook 71. But given the hype surrounding such a product, maybe Panasonic would do its customers a favor by renaming the machine Toughbook Lite.
By Edward C. Baig
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