Panasonic vs Getac

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Now, I know it isn't a Toughbook but does anyone here have any experience of these or can make any comparisons between the latest Toughbooks and the lookalikes?

It's not that I want one (no, I'm lying, I want EVERY laptop) but I am intrigued.

 

I have one of this. Getac W130(1.6Ghz)


ohlip

 

looks fancy. is it "ruggardised"? as in milspec or whatever, i mean...

 

They look like bad attempts at Toughbooks. Like they were built in the 1980s or something..

 

There are a number of Panasonic Toughbook impostors out there: Dell (XFR series), Getac, Itronix (GoBooks), and a few others. We've seen a number of rugged non-Panasonic laptops come into our facility, and frankly I'm not impressed by any of the other brands.

 

The handle on it makes it look dorky.

 

Agree

Reminds me of a briefcase handle


Alex

 

the handle is more rugged than the machine!

 

Looks like Arnold would have had that in Terminator

 

Actually, they are still being made. They have been manufactured by pretty much the same company for several years, although the name has changed a few times (due to buyouts). While many on this forum (and of course...no bias there) consider them substandard in comparison to the Toughbooks, they are actually more robust than the Toughbooks in some respects. For those that have owned them, you know just how tough they are. I have two (one is complete) and the features (for their time) were as good as the Tb's also. Don't get me wrong, I am still a Tb guy at heart, but don't necessarily knock something you have never owned. If I could find a newer version of the one I have (it is a 600Mhz), I would pick it up in a heartbeat. I believe the primary reason they never did as well as the Tb's was the lack of a network such as the one Panasonic has and the several buyouts over the years.

 

I just said they "look" like bad attempts... I have never tried them. But they really look like something Agent 99 would use in "Get Smart"... It just looks like someone there strapped bumpers onto a small briefcase and then stuffed a laptop inside... Almost like they thought that it must "look" tough in order to be tough... Or to sell it as tough.

I could swear I've seen reports where the Toughbook beat it in every category except like one.... Maybe I missed something... But I'd still love to try one out.

<Hello... Chief? I asked you not to tell me that!>

 

I've seen one on ebay for $90 and I'm soooo tempted. But I could buy a CF-28 for that and have money left over for pork rinds. Oh the decisions...

 

Yeah... The guy has an 88% feedback score... A 366MHz CPU???

Not me... For that you can get a 1GHz Toughbook...

 

If you really get tempted, give me a call. I won't give it away as it is a perfectly working 600Mhz with XP Pro SP3. I will even make you a deal on two of them, the only thing you need for the second one is a hard drive caddy (I think). They are always fun to play around with and they ARE built like a friggin' tank, even more so than the Tb.

 

I'll PM you about them at the end of the week (Friday/payday) since I have a specific use for at least one of these beasts. Not to give too much away but I'm trying to help out a local SPCA with some technology and if I could give them something which enabled the officers to send in their reports while mobile plus make use of GPS then the Getacs could be ideal.

 

I agree. I watched the A-740T above go for just over $15 plus nearly $19 shipping. If it worked then I suppose somebody got a good deal but I'd rather buy the 500mhz CF-27 for that.

 

I've got a CF-30, which I think is fantastic. A friend of mine sold his CF-29, and after comparing it to the CF-30, picked up a new Rugged Notebook RNB 300, which he felt was even better than a Toughbook - 1200 NIT touchscreen, red backlit keyboard, copper heat pipe cooled internals, fully ruggedized, etc.

I know I'm asking a biased audience here, but the specs on the RN units look impressive - any professional opinions on those laptops ?

 

They look fine and they have similar specs, but I have had Toughbooks for almost 10 years
I have owned all the rugged versions since the cf-25 and I really prefer the Toughbooks
I really understand the Toughbook models, how they are built and how to fix them and a bit on how to modify them
They are like old friends to me
Panasonic has been doing this the longest and is the most successful
That also translates to easy access to parts and reasonable parts prices in comparison to other makes

Alex