The editor sent us a list of tests he wanted to put the 31 through, including placing the device in an oven, covering it in ice, dropping it three feet to a hard surface, dropping objects onto the screen and strapping it to an ATV for a little off-roading.

We agreed, suggested a few more extreme tests and waited for the results.

After testing ruggedized laptops from Dell, HP, Lenovo and Panasonic, Inc. selected its “Best Rugged Laptop”. Can you guess who won? The Toughbook 31, of course.

Having brought to market the first reasonably priced, standard form-factor, rugged PC back in 1995, we have a lot of expertise in this mobile computer space. It is, in fact, our only focus. Combining our commitment to quality with a market specific focus results in the development of products that our customers rely on, even in the most demanding of conditions.

To be fair, only the Dell Latitude E6400 XFR was a direct competitor to the fully-rugged Toughbook 31. The HP and Lenovo fall into the business-rugged category.

HP and Lenovo, if you are listening, we’re happy to put our Toughbook C1 or F9 up against any of your business-rugged devices!  How about we test drop and spill resistance – the two most common causes of failure?  We can also compare battery life, weight, ergonomics and performance.  We think we’ll hold up very nicely.  Do you have that same confidence?  You know where to find us.

The Toughbook 31 is the sixth generation of the flagship Toughbook clamshell notebook line.  The new device is distinguished by the fact that it is both the industry’s highest performing and most durable rugged PC. The premier Toughbook 31 features a full power Intel® Core™ i5 processor (entry level models feature the Core i3), and discreet graphics options for users, such as those in military operations, with intense data modeling requirements.

In addition to pushing the boundaries of performance, the Toughbook 31 also offers the brightest standard battery-powered screen ever at 1,100 nits, with more efficient LED displays, and the same long battery life (up to 11.5 hours), people have come to expect from the Toughbook line of mobile computers.

No Compromises
Traditionally, in creating rugged notebooks, engineers have had to make a number of trade-offs in support of reliability, the fundamental requirement for these devices. However, as they always have, Panasonic’s notebook engineers have pushed the boundaries, resulting in the ultimate no-compromise rugged computing solution. The Toughbook 31 delivers all of this power and goes beyond MIL-STD-810G testing to deliver a 6’ drop rating and IP65 protection—protection against streaming liquids and fine dust. In addition to being the highest performing rugged notebook, the Toughbook 31 is without a doubt the most durable.

Taking the Heat
One of the greatest challenges in engineering fully rugged PCs has always been thermal management. Historically, because of their high degree of failure and the resulting increased exposure to dust and moisture, “fan” has been a four letter word for engineers focused on reliability. As a result, truly rugged PCs have been constrained to using lower voltage chipsets. However, Panasonic, in cooperation with its partners at Intel, has been a long-time leader in developing unique approaches to managing heat, using sinks and pipes designed to keep units running cool and CPUs running at their peak.

Thanks to Panasonic’s ongoing commitment to R&D, the Toughbook 31 continues to break performance barriers. In addition to its proven heat management technology, the new Panasonic hybrid cooling system incorporates a fully rugged interior fan that keeps air (and dust, sand, and fluids) moving, allowing for the use of a desktop class processor, like the Core i5. Because Panasonic engineers are 100% focused on reliability and creating fail-safe solutions, they’ve also devised a software solution that, in the unlikely event of a cooling fan failure, the device is programmed to run cooler, stepping down the clock speed. Only Panasonic, with its engineers focused on up-time, is in a position to innovate in this way.

Protecting Investments in the Long Run
Why do Panasonic’s engineers obsess over these things? For two reasons: 1. to continue to deliver the industry’s most reliable PCs, and 2. to ensure a high ROI and lower total cost of ownership for our customers.

To contribute to this, the Toughbook 31 includes multiple future-proof wireless options, including Gobi2000™ chipset from Qualcomm. The 31 is a 4G-ready device designed from the inside-out to enable superior data access and productivity for any mobile professional in mission-critical applications and extreme environments.

In addition, the Toughbook 31 maintains Panasonic’s now eleven year commitment to vehicle dock compatibility, ensuring that this critical and expensive hardware investment is protected over time. It is these kinds of things—based on the ongoing feedback of our customers—that make purchasing mobile computers from Panasonic a solid long-term investment.

While ChannelWeb, PC Magazine, and WIRED Gadget Lab all covered the announcement with zeal, our favorite post introducing the Toughbook H1 Field has to be from Devin Coldewey of CrunchGear who places you in the role of Gordon Freeman; your lab is self destructing and soldiers are attempting to kill you. You need a tablet computer as part of your defense and before you is an iPad and the H1 Field. What do you do? Check out Devin’s suggestion in his post.

Our customers have a different set of critical needs, but it’s fun to pretend to be Gordon Freeman for a day!

The Toughbook 30 was also declared “the fastest laptop in the review” and “the most rugged laptop in this roundup.” We’re honored to be recognized with GCN’s Reviewer’s Choice designation, although it probably won’t surprise our customers in the military, law enforcement, fire/EMS and other mission-critical government positions who rely on the Toughbook 30 every day.

Most readers of this blog will be familiar with the concise definition of Mil-Spec, which refers to the Military standards developed by the U.S. Department of Defense to ensure products meet certain requirements, commonality, reliability, total cost of ownership, compatibility with logistics systems and similar defense-related objectives.

The standards have become a common benchmark in validating the level of ruggedization in a notebook, with a variety of tests designed to determine a product’s ability to withstand challenging conditions in the field. These include drops, high altitudes, dust, liquid, vibration and extreme temperatures.  Our fully-rugged Toughbook notebooks each pass numerous Mil-Spec tests; a summary can be found here.

Given the dependence on Mil-Spec to evaluate rugged laptops, I’d like to call attention to some common misconceptions and important recommendations to help anyone considering which rugged notebooks to deploy:

• Ensure that the right tests were passed - Potential buyers shouldn’t hear “Mil-Spec certified” and assume the device is rugged in all respects. There are numerous independent tests, so verify whether a notebook has passed the ones that best reflect the environment it will be deployed in. For example, a computer that will be mounted in an Arizona police car should put considerable priority on passing the extreme heat and vibration tests.
• Don’t assume third-party validation - Currently, the Armed Services do not conduct actual tests or certify that rugged devices meet Mil-Spec standards.  Each supplier of rugged computing equipment is expected to assure or guarantee adherence to the standards. Always ask for third-party validation that the tests were passed.
• Know the boundaries of every test – There are varying degrees of Mil-Spec tests, and many of them simply don’t go far enough to ensure reliable use in certain applications. The 810F water-resistance test, for instance, doesn’t compare to the level of rain that a disaster response team might encounter in a tropical storm. Panasonic tests fully-rugged Toughbook notebooks beyond Mil-Spec requirements in many categories, such as spraying fully-rugged notebooks with water for 12 hours (other standards related to ingress protection, or IP, also exist). Fully-rugged Toughbook notebooks are also held to a higher standard on drop tests, with three-foot drops onto every angle while the unit is operating. The Toughbook U1, an ultra mobile rugged handheld PC, exceeds four feet.
• In the end, failure rates are what counts – After all, Mil-Spec is just a test. Whether a computer continues to operate smoothly after several years of abuse in extreme environments is the best determinant of how rugged they really are.  Even if a computer passes the dust-resistance Mil-Spec test, the only way to ensure it will withstand years of blowing dust (whether in Iraq or West Texas) is to check the failure rates.

Panasonic is currently the only notebook manufacturer to make its failure rates public. Fully-rugged 30 and 19 computers boast failure rates of 1.5 and 2.5 percent, respectively, and they are being put to the test by field workers every day. Even our business-rugged notebooks all have failure rates under five percent, a fraction of the industry average for business notebooks, as published by PC Magazine.

For additional advice on making an informed Mil-Spec assessment, I highly recommend this overview from leading analyst Rob Enderle, which emphasizes the importance of validating Mil-Spec claims. Roger Kay also completed an interesting and comprehensive report on rugged computing in 2008.  Finally, David Krebs of VDC has recently delivered a paper that focuses on TCO and ROI and the impact of deploying the wrong solution in what should be a rugged usage environment.

Today, there aren’t many professions left where computer downtime does not have a major impact on productivity.  In the case of first responders and military personnel, to declare computer uptime as “mission-critical” is to understate the responsibilities they’re tasked with every day. Panasonic has consistently raised its standards of reliability for these types of customers for 15 years, and we will continue helping mobile professionals across every industry navigate the increasingly complex landscape of rugged standards.

[NOTE: MIL-STD-810G, which was created in October 2008, supersedes MIL-STD-810F]

The current issue of Government Computer News features an in-depth review of the latest Toughbook® 30 model, by Lab Director John Breeden.  It provides an excellent summary of how the latest upgra

des, such as a brighter screen with anti-glare and anti-reflective coatings, support government users who require a notebook that will operate under any conditions.

The Toughbook 30’s concealment mode is a new feature that can be easily overlooked, but figured prominently in the review due to its significance for the police and military. GCN saw firsthand how easy it is for a user seeking to remain undetected to shut off all external lights while leaving the computer fully running. It’s a great example of how Panasonic engineers its computers to meet the specific needs of end users.

For years, rugged has been defined, measured and misunderstood in many ways, causing confusion for those trying to understand whether they should purchase products with this distinction.  The GCN report paints a clear picture, explaining the history of rugged, how rugged technologies have grown, how ruggedness is measured, and how users can determine if and how they should deploy rugged technology.

Areas addressed by the report include:

• How rugged technologies are expanding beyond laptops
• Understanding rugged testing
• Why it’s not just the computer that needs to be rugged
• The 12 recommended steps for considering a rugged device
• Rugged products being developed for specific operating environments

The report shows that rugged technologies will be developed to support the many environments government and military personnel find themselves in.  As a result, public sector employees need to understand how rugged technologies can positively impact their jobs.  The GCN Rugged IT Report is a great guide for this, so I’d encourage you to give it a read and discover new methods for boosting job productivity and performance.