Vendor packages Dell notebook components in housings designed to withstand extreme conditions
Augmentix packages Dell notebook components in rugged casings that can cope with bone-crunching use, sand, dust, temperature extremes and floods.
A vendor of rugged Dell servers and singleboard computers has applied its tough-computing expertise to personal computing with a Windows notebook designed to handle bone-crunching use and abuse.
The Augmentix XTG630 takes a set of core PC components that are used in Dell’s popular Latitude notebooks, including a motherboard with Intel’s most advanced mobile CPU and chipsets. Then Augmentix packages the electronics in an internal frame and magnesium housing designed to withstand tough conditions including sand, dust, temperature extremes and floods.
The 14.1-inch WXGA display is equally durable and sealed and combines powerful backlighting with new advances to minimize reflectance, so it can be viewed outdoors in bright sunlight. Vendors such as Asutek and General Dynamics Itronix have recently introduced displays based on similar technologies.
Rugged techniques are spreading from the traditional military markets into the commercial space, as vendors realize that some users are willing to pay more for even semi-rugged notebooks that can stand up to an occasional drop and coffee spills. Dell introduced a line of semi-rugged Latitudes early this year.
Founded in 2003, Augmentix has an unusual business model, says Rick Perley, the company’s vice president of marketing. Several executives of the company are from Dell, and forged a close relationship with their former employer. Initially, the focus was on Dell’s servers, which the company redesigned to meet military-grade rugged specifications for shipboard and battlefield use.
To create their products, Augmentix designers and engineers get detailed information on Dell’s product development plans and timelines, so they can develop their own rugged products in parallel with Dell’s servers and notebooks. Second, Augmentix leverages Dell’s buying power and scale to purchase the core electronics and hard disks at optimal prices compared with buying these components on its own.
The components go into enclosures and casings that Augmentix designs, and the final products are marketed to a range of military, government, public safety and industrial customers.
The new XTG630 is fitted with Intel Core 2 Duo processors, running at up to 2.4GHz, with Dell’s bios, drivers, utilities, and either Windows XP SP2 or Vista operating systems. Perley says the user experience is identical to that of Dell’s commercial Latitude notebooks.
But that’s where the similarities end. Rugged computer design is an arcane specialty with peculiar challenges. Vendors include Motorola, through its acquisition of Symbol Technologies; Itronix, which is now part of General Dynamics; LXE; and Panasonic with its well-known ToughBook model.
The Augmentix XTG630 looks like a small armored briefcase. It is 2.3 by 13.9 by 9.9 inches, and it weighs just less than 8 pounds with its battery. It’s created by combining a tough, fiberglass-injected polycarbonate shock molding around a magnesium casing, sheathing a specially designed internal frame to keep components tightly fitted together. A complex thermal management system uses sophisticated copper heat sinks to transfer heat from the internal components to dissipate outside the computer.
There are four different models, varying by CPU speed, memory and other configuration selections. System memory can range from 512M to 4,056MB of DDR2 dual channel memory, and Dell’s 1.8-inch shock-mounted 80GB hard drive. It has an array of protected and sealed I/O interfaces and interface options, including four USB 2.0 ports.
Network interfaces include 10/100/1000 Ethernet LAN, 56Kbps modem, choice of 802.11a/g or 11a/g/draftn wireless LAN interfaces, and options for several high-speed cellular interfaces, Bluetooth and GPS.
The battery powering the unit is Dell’s six-cell unit, housed in a sealed cavity with a metal plate to protect it from punctures. The XTG6630 also uses Dell’s ExpressCharge technology, which recharges a drained battery in one hour.
The notebook has an integrated smart card reader, optional fingerprint reader and multi-level password system. The Trusted Mobile Platform version 1.2 security chip adds encryption and Wave Systems’ Wave Embassy Trust Suite software are standard.
In low volumes, the price of the XTG630 ranges from about $3,000 to about $4,000 for a fully loaded, top-of-the-line model.
