7. What Exactly Does "Rugged" Mean?

I need to spend a little time here talking about the word "rugged" when used to describe a notebook computer and explaining the tests Twinhead uses to assess the ruggedness of its products. In the next section, I'll also show you some video I made of the Durabook N15RI undergoing some of Twinhead's own tests.

I don't know about you, but my biggest fear when it comes to laptop and notebook computers is dropping and damaging them. I've been lucky so far, but that doesn't keep the nightmares away. I mean how many of us can afford to have a second portable computer standing at the ready should we manage to destroy our primary mobile machine? Sure I backup everything on my Sony VAIO VGN-T350P laptop to an external disk drive. But what good is that if I need to leave the office and the Sony sits on the floor, a meaningless mass of plastic, metal and silicon?

There are lots of ways to reduce the chance your laptop or notebook will be damaged in a drop. I always handle my Sony T350P with care. When I'm not using the laptop, I keep it in the well padded optional pouch Sony sells for it. And, when I travel, the laptop goes, pouch and all, into a well padded mobile computer carrying case.

Frankly, however, you can't count on care and cases to protect your laptop or notebook every minute of every day. Enter the "rugged notebook computer." Rugged notebooks are designed to withstand a variety of hardware damaging events, not just drops. The ideal rugged notebook would meet a variety of tests.

Twinhead has borrowed from a number of military and civilian sources to compile a set of its own ruggedness tests that focus on the effects of vibration, dropping and spilling liquid on its notebooks. These tests are a subset of all the tests of ruggedness that could be run. So, Twinhead calls its products, not "rugged notebooks," but "semi-rugged notebooks."

Here's a brief description of each of Twinhead's tests. The source of each test is included.

Vibration testing requires special vibration equipment. The notebook is shaken from left to right, front to rear an up and down at various frequencies for 30 minutes to an hour. The notebook is not enclosed in any packaging or protective case and is turned off. Sources: American Society for Testing Materials 4169, Truck Transport, 11.5.2 Random Test and US Department of Defense MIL-STD 810F, Method 514.4, Procedure 1, Category 10.

Drop testing uses specially designed drop test equipment. The unpackaged notebook is dropped 26 times from a height of 29" (73.7 cm) onto a 2" (5.08 cm) thickness of plywood placed over concrete. Each of the 26 drops causes the notebook to hit the plywood on a different part of its case. The notebook is not enclosed in any packaging or protective case and is closed and turned off. Source: MIL-STD 810F, Method 516.4, Procedure IV, height modified by Twinhead.

In the spilled liquids test, 100 cc of water is spilled vertically over the keyboard, mouse touchpad, mouse buttons, speakers, etc. Source: European Committee for Electro Technical Standardization of IP31.

Twinhead also does a "shock" test to measure the impact of dropping a notebook in its packaging from a height of 36" (91 cm). This test is of more interest to the company itself, shipping companies and sellers of its products.