Latest GD Itronix notebook powers up

General Dynamics Itronix has begun shipping the successor to its popular GoBook semi-rugged notebook PC, the GoBook VR-2.

Dropping the "GoBook" name and now called the GD6000, the new model's main change is the powerful 2.53GHz Intel T9400 Core 2 Duo processor to better support graphics and video applications.

It retains the sunlight-readable color touchscreen, and panoply of standard and optional wireless interfaces.

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General Dynamics Itronix has begun shipping the successor to its popular GoBook semi-rugged notebook PC, the GoBook VR-2.

Dropping the "GoBook" name and now called the GD6000, the new model's main change is the powerful 2.53GHz Intel T9400 Core 2 Duo processor to better support graphics and video applications.

It retains the sunlight-readable color touchscreen, and panoply of standard and optional wireless interfaces.

The company classifies the GD6000, and is predecessor, as "vehicle-rugged." The term is meant to suggest a notebook that's designed to be much more durable than conventional office notebooks, but falling short of the highest standards set for military use.

(You can find a review of the fully rugged GoBook XR-1 and two other rival rugged notebooks here.).  

The magnesium alloy housing, shock mounted disk and display of the GD6000 are designed to meet the MIL STD 810F specification to resist vibration, temperature ranges, and humidity, as well as an ANSI specification to resist dust. It has a spill-resistant keyboard and palm rest. It can withstand repeated 30-inch drops.

(Magnesium is beloved by designers of rugged electronics gear.)

The goal is a notebook that can take the kind of usage, accidents and conditions demanded by vehicle-mounted PCs getting heavy daily use, such as by police or field service workers, according to Pat White, the company's vice president of strategic marketing.

The durability and performance don't come inexpensively. The GD6000 starts at $3,495 list price, and can top $5,000 depending on what options you select. Vendors routinely justify the higher price by pointing out that greater durability means more long-lasting computers than can be amortized over a somewhat longer period. There's another cost: with the six-cell lithium-ion battery, it weighs in at 6.2 pounds.

The core processor package comes with 6MB of Level 2 cache and up to 4GB of memory. Intel has targeted the T9400 CPU and the companion GM45 chip set at mobile and embedded applications, designing the silicon to minimize power demands.

Much of the rest is little changed from the VR-1 model. The notebook runs either Windows XP or Windows Vista. GD Itronix software engineers have already begun working with early builds of Windows 7 and the notebook will support it as soon as it's ready.

The 13.3-inch display is Itronix' patent-pending DynaVue Touchscreen, introduced two years ago and designed to be clearly readable even in direct, bright sunlight. Some vendors have tried to increase screen brightness by boosting the power of the LCDs.

But Itronix focused on two other techniques to achieve a much more effective result. Polarization boosts the contrast ratio -- increasing the difference between the blackest blacks and the whitest whites, enabling the human eye to see fine details more easily. Index matching, interlaced with the various layers of the screen assembly, reduces ambient-light reflection and increases brightness.

The GD6000 has dual built-in task lights, and an optional white keyboard for improved readability in low-light conditions. It comes with a 120GB hard drive, integrated GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, with optional support for integrated cellular data (either EV-DO Rev A or HSDPA/UMTS.