Rugged

Industrial-grade rugged computer systems manufacturer Stealth Computer has announced its most powerful small form factor PC to date. The Little PC 670 has been designed with Intel's Core i3, i5 and i7 mobile processors, and packs numerous I/O connectivity options into a 6.54 x 6.18 x 1.89-inch (166 x 157 x 48 mm) durable aluminum chassis. HDD storage comes as standard, but SSD solutions are available for applications that require extra-high shock, vibration and temperature protection. There's support for full 1080p high definition playback, and 5.1 Channel audio courtesy of Realtek. Read More

There are occasions when mobile computing needs in the field simply can't be met by notebook or tablet solutions. The kind of high performance processing needed for applications like geospatial imagery analysis, UAV ground control, or HD digital video processing is often given over to rack-mounted servers, but NextComputing has another option. Sporting the latest off-the-shelf components within a rugged dual-design chassis, the Vigor EX compact, mobile, all-in-one workstation solutions are built to withstand more than the odd bump and designed to operate in harsh environments. Read More

Stealth Computer has taken some of its rugged industrial PC know-how and developed an all-in-one solution for interactive kiosks, outdoor computing, or marine, aviation, security and industrial environments. The SVPC's panel is sealed against windblown dust and rain, splashing and hose-directed water, comes in three screen size options and benefits from touchscreen user interaction. The PC part of the package offers dual-core processing, HDD or SSD storage and sports a multitude of I/O connectivity options. Read More

Adventurous and sporty types looking for a camera which can cope with extreme conditions may be interested to learn of a new rugged compact from Olympus. Not only is the 14 megapixel Tough TG-810 snapper waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and able to operate in sub-zero conditions ... but it's also crushproof. Read More

The flood of tablet computer releases seen at CES 2011 looks set to continue at this year's CeBIT trade show in Hannover, Germany with Taiwan's MiTAC first off the starting line with four new tablets heading for the show. Hoping to capitalize on the success of last year's award-winning Valinor media tablet, the company has announced a couple of media tablets, a rugged model and one featuring two GPS receivers. Read More

Apple's new MacBook Pro line-up might be grabbing all the headlines with its new Thunderbolt port, but the claimed battery life pales into insignificance when compared to that offered by HP. When running on the company's new Ultra-Capacity Notebook battery, the HP EliteBook 8460p is said to be capable of running for up to 32 hours between charges. It's one of a number of business notebook releases announced by HP, so let's take a closer look... Read More

Rugged mobile phone maker Sonim Technologies seems to be on a never-ending mission to create products that can withstand whatever extreme torture can be thrown at them. The company has just announced another tough cookie that's been designed to help enterprise and government organizations locate, track and manage its mobile workforce - whatever conditions they may find themselves in. As well as some impressive tough guy credentials, the XP3300 FORCE also lays claim to the industry's longest talk and stand-by time. Read More

Israel's CompuLab, makers of the fit-PC range of energy efficient mini-PCs, has announced a new miniature computer powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 2 processing platform. The Trim-Slice computer is said to offer the rich multimedia capabilities and user experience of a full-size PC at only a fraction of the power draw. It benefits from a fanless design, Wireless-N connectivity, solid state memory and expansion via both a full size and a micro SD card slots. Read More

Fujifilm is about to release its first rugged digital camera to feature GPS geo-tagging of images, the FinePix XP30. In addition to being water-, dust-, shock- and freeze-proof, the compact camera can guide you from your current location to a point where you snapped a particularly interesting shot, and use collected data to create a travel map, using your photos as illustrations. The camera can also record high definition video and includes a number of user-assist features to help capture the best shots without too much effort. Read More