Should I get a Toughbook for my trip to Africa?

I'm going to be spending a few months in Africa. I won't be trekking or anything, but I will be in dusty rural areas and, most importantly, taking a lot of local transport as well as long-distance buses (several 10-20 hr rides) on unpaved roads. When I was there last, I had my Dell in a decent case. It never fell or anything, but by the end of the trip the screen had detached, I had trouble turning it on, and it would frequently crash. I assume there was physical damage, and that the vibration and hard bumps on poorly-maintained or unpaved roads were the culprit.

I already have a MacBook Pro which I love and am leaving at home. I'd like to get something cheap ($500 or less) to take with me, and I was considering getting something really light and portable, like the ASUS Eee 4G ( http://eeepc.asus.com/global/product.htm), but I assume that might not make it out alive either. I've recently been looking at ruggedized notebooks, and was considering buying a Panasonic Toughbook, probably CF-28 (one of the refurbished deals on Ebay, unless of course anyone has any other sugestions!). I'm not looking for anything fancy since I will only be using the computer for word processing, internet surfing, and file storage, but I also don't think I could deal with something so slow it groaned every time I opened Microsoft Word.

The Toughbooks look super hardcore. Do I really need a Toughbook for what I'm doing? Which model do you recommend?

I'm a bit flexible on the price, but I'd really prefer not to spend more than $500.

Suggestions very much appreciated!

 

PS--
This might be a rather naive question, but does anywhere in the world satellite internet exist? Is it possible to get online in the middle of nowhere?

 

If your dell was in that bad condition, and you have the money, I would get a toughbook. Don't get the semi-rugged, get the full thing. I don't know about worldwide satilite internet
woah toughbooks cost around $3000-5000

 

I disagree with Travis, the Dell ATG semi-rugged might be precisely what you need as youre not going to be abusing the hell out of it.

 

umm, the dell latitude atg doesnt exist anymore discontinued
dell's two rugged models start at $2500 and $3900
clearly out of the op's budget

 

The smaller the notebook then the less it will get stressed by the travel. And a decent neoprene sleeve inside another bag should give good protection from bumps and vibrations.

A Toughbook would be nice, but I suspect that whatever you can find for your budget would be old and relatively slow. An Eee with good protection might be a better choice.

John

 

Thanks everyone for your input. I was just checking the ASUS website and read: "Bumps and shocks are no longer issues. With a dependable solid-state disk, you get unparalleled shock-protection and reliability."

Do most laptops not have solid-state disks? And what does that mean?

 

Yes, get a Toughbook. You can probably pick up a decent CF-28 600mhz on eBay for $300 or less. You can be sure that the the machine will out perform you. As for the Dell being discontinued, so what, the CF-28 was discontinued 3 generations of Toughbooks ago and it is still going strong! Satellite web is available in US, but it requires a dish like satellite tv. You could probably log onto the net with a Sat Phone, but they sure aren't cheap.
As for all these other semi-tough computers, I'll let you hit my Toughbook with your computer as hard as you dare. Then I get to hit your computer with my 9# Toughbook. Any takers?

 

Asus EEE; it is a cheap, sub-500 laptop with a solid-state disk (SSDs are far more reliable and shock-resistant).

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4055&review=ASUS+Eee+PC+4G+(black)

A used laptop should be avoided for several reasons:

1) higher risk of parts failure
2) batteries may be worn out

Most laptops today use conventional HDDs, which are mechanical devices that use a sensitive read-write head to record data onto a magnetic platter. SSDs are basically flash memory similar to what you use in a thumb drive; however the memory is of a much higher density and performance. Unfortunately, being a new technology, SSDs are much more expensive at higher capacities. Currently Asus offers 2-8GB SSDs instead of the $500 63GB SSDs on the market now.

 

I agree...the Asus EEE looks like the way to go.

 

Most notebooks do not have solid-state (RAM based) disks yet - way too expensive still for a few gigs of storage.
The CF-28 or CF-29 are good, but heavy, laptops and as capt.d.. said, you can get a cf-28 for a good price on ebay. CF-28's are 600mhz, 800 mhz, and 1.0ghz models (M, P, and S) and 256 to 1 gb of memory depending on model and added RAM. Prices escalate for the faster models, and if you want an internal CD/DVD drive you add a lot. But you can add a lot to your toughbook after you get it, as can be seen from this forum.
Remember too that the CF-28 is a heavy machine at 9lbs. It will take a beating though, so that may not be a problem
As to phone service, I was just noticing that Iridium is still active - that I think is the only real global satellite phone system. Not sure of any other.

 

OK! based on his story, The dell notebook is a piece of junk after all the trip. It means, he need a notebook that is not made of plastic. Its simple.


I recommend the panasonic toughbook, It is made of magnesium alloy. The harddrive is mount into stainless steel enclosure with gel for sudden impact and vibration.


ohlip

 

Having owned, and destroyed two Dell laptops, a HP and a Sony doing in the field work for banks, (mainly problems with the hinges, casings and the screen) I would not own a laptop that was not a toughbook or some other fully-rugged laptop. I expect alot more out of the durability then I do out of the gaming.

 

Actually, you can also get something like a Lenovo T41. I saw the following for $420 at a local store in Canada:

1.6GHz Pentium M
512MB RAM
40GB 4200RPM HDD
Intel GMA 950
Atheros 11mbps b/g

It was "used," but it was literally in perfect condition. The only sign of use was the slightly worn spacebar key.

 

If you have the budget, check out inmarsat
We have the system in Africa now, (at my work).

 

There are basically two types of systems available to civilians for worldwide internet. One is via Single Sideband radio or, what I use is Satellite phone.

There are pros and cons to each. Research them on the net and make up your own mind. For me it's a no brainer. The satphone is a heck of a lot more portable and has manageable power and antenna requirements. My entire rig consisting of my CF-29, Motorola Satphone, DC chargers, and tether cords, can easily fit in a pelican case of the appropriate size, which easily man portable including your kit. This rig will withstand more punishment than your body can, and besides if your body design limits get exceeded, you won't give a s--t if your computer doesn't. Ask me how I know.

 

This is why we don't allow the Dell and Asus guys in here....

You should look into an 800Mhz Toughbook that is complete. But then you'll want to add a DC adapter to it. (Unless you already have one.) Wifi is easy to add. For your uses I'd definitely put in an internal antenna and have a side jack SMA for an external antenna. There are small high gain jobs that work very well.

As for the satellite phone I defer to others that know that field. However you can install a program that will allow you to dial out on your cell phone to get the Internet. I use Motorola Phone Tools along with my V3i to get out when I am not close to wifi. This won't save you in all cases but it is a heck of a lot cheaper than using satellite service and may even be cheaper than wifi in some areas. You can hook the phone up either by mini USB or by bluetooth if you install bluetooth in your Toughbook.

Either way... You'll have a hard time getting everything you want for under $500. $600 - $700 would be closer to it and that would be with you doing the work yourself.

Just my two cents.

 

You want rugged but you also want extra light, something you can throw in your backpack that wount weigh you down. so my recommendation would be a CF-M34 preferably the last model made which was a 1gb Centrino it only weighs around 4lbs. It is the smallest fully ruggedized laptop that Panasic ever made. The only drawback is that they do not have built in optical drives but unless you need to load software on the go it really woun't matter. These models have USB 2.0 so you can easily connect all your devices such as camera cell/satellite phone. The key to traveling is to have as many options for connectivity and these give you regular dial up via modem, WIFI, Ethernet, and of course USB for tethering your cell.

 

get a toughbook and not the other stuff. when i travel to 3rd world locations that is all i want. it can take the heat and humidity.

 

I put mine through the "drunk test". Get hammered, and see what it takes to break it. I eventually cracked the screen, but ooooh boy was that fun.

Throw that Dell like a frisbee, then throw my Toughbook like a baseball (If such a practice could be done). I'll still have a laptop that operates.


I'll be completely honest with the OP, a CF-28 sounds like a great unit for you. You really don't need a whole lot of processing power to do what you want, as long as you don't use the latest version of Word. I've done a ton of things with mine, and honestly I never found a need for a faster laptop. Sure I wish Streets and Trips would open faster, but it works very well when it is opened.

 

A note to the Dell-HP-ASUS, etc guys:
When you guys have a perfectly serious thread on removing coffee, doughnuts, dead **** roaches, and lots of other nasty stuff from your WORKING laptop for purely aesthetic reasons, then come back here and chime in. This guy came here for guidance on a laptop to withstand severe abuse. He came to the right place!

 

At my work, we have used CF-28, CF-29 and CF-30 in Chad, Sudan, Congo, Liberia, Afghanistan and so on. These are to ones that takes heat, rain, sand (-storms) etc without any problems.

 

Where in Africa are you going? If you're travelling to Southern Africa made up of countries such as South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and Zimbabwe you should find good internet connectivity
without having to use satellite connections. 3G/HDSPA/UMTS, iBurst,
ADSL and dialup are available as is seperate consumer satellite internet in very remote areas.