What do you use your Toughbook for?

It's been awhile (from my searching) that a similar thread has been posted. I figured that most people bought Toughbooks because, like me, they lived or worked in harsh environments (Iraq is why I have mine). However, it seems like most people have them for anything but that. From my searching, journalists like the battery power, boaters like the GPS, and medical people have a lot of touch screen programs. So what do you use yours for?

 

Beating people who ask questions instead of searching for the answers first.
Just kidding... Sorta...

 

The needs that I express here in this thread are for the HARD WORKING class of people that just need a laptop to WORK WORK WORK WORK WORK and maybe WORK some more...

People that don't want to deal with a cracked screen
Deal with a ripped out power socket
Deal with fried CPU's and overheating
Deal with being scared to touch the damn thing without breaking it
Deal with throwing on the conveyor belt at the airport for them to scan it
Deal with stuffing your laptop into a bag every time you need to get in and out of a taxi cab
Deal with having to plug in a USB light to see the keyboard at night
Deal with having to plug the laptop in after a measly 3 hours
Deal with messing around with a Sprint/Verizon/ATT card
Deal with a glare from the sunlight shining through the window on the screen
Deal with protecting it with your life if it rains a little bit
Deal with kids banging on it
Deal with having to carry around a huge cumbersome bag EVERYWHERE YOU GO

 

I use mine for tire chocks! Keeps my SUV from rolling back down a Hill!
Just Kidding!

I carry mine around all the time, generally keep it in the car. A Great Camping LapTop! It comes in handy when you need directions. Even though mine does not have GPS, it does have a Sierra AirCard 860, so I can get the internet wherever I get a cell signal. Google maps comes in handy, when your on the road.
I have been looking at those bluetooth GPS units that are about the size of a pack of cigarettes. Coupled up with bluetooth for my Toughie, then I can never be lost in non-cell reception areas!
Does anyone have any experience with bluetooth GPS units (the ones with no screen), and their ToughBook?

 

I'm NOT kidding on this one... One time I had to take my boat off the Jeep to replace the battery and I had to chalk the tire in the Farm Fleet parking lot... I used my CF-30 to do so...

 

Was that before or after you jumped on it?

 

I use mine to knock my old Toshibas (and others) against the wall.

I set em up on a football tee on a table, grab the handle of the 29, do a hammer throw spin, and WACK! against the bricks!

Oh and any comments about plastic laptop abuse can be directed to the aforementioned wall.

 

i use mine for gaming.lol no i use mine to tear apart every time i get another hair brained idea

 

Mostly for network diag and Router Config; tho I DID use one once to duplicate the functionality of a CradlePoint for an outdoor convention I was contracted for.

mnem
Sometimes for OBDII too...

 

I got mine for the babes!

Let's face it, the Toughbook is the ultimate "Chick Magnet" in notebook computers!

 

I was wondering why all the hot chicks at Starbucks come up to me and take off there tops...







what what?

 

If you don't want to mess with an internal GPS (I don't) I recommend a USB GPS. The blue tooth ones have connection problems, need to be charged or have their batteries replaced, etc. I recommend the USGLOBALSat Bu353, and believe me, I have tried a lot and use them a lot, and there is nothing better on the market. I use my Toughbooks for everything because they don't mind flying off the front seat in panic stops, dripping salt water from the crew's foul weather gear, spilled coffee, and on and on and...
CAP

 

capt dogfish,
I just purchased a Bu353 for my toughbook. Do you recommend any software to pair it with?

 

Intellinav is the best for roads in usa, IMHO. But with the $100 pricetage, I aquired a copy of sygic mcguider rc12, and the teleatlas maps for usa. Works pretty well, although I miss the TTS reading the actual street names from intellinav.

I'm a contractor, and I use my Toughbook for everything:
Autocad
Point of sale
Email
Research
GPS navigation
Kick ace IPOD replacement
Lonely friday nights (it is rugged and waterproof):wink:
DVD's
Graphics editing
REsearching more crap to add on to my toughbook
Cellular telephone (for the moment)

I keep it with me almost all the time (especially since it's my phone for right now). Dock it in the van during the day, take it in at night. my wife hates that...

 

I'm strongly considering going this route, I'd like internal but not gonna pay for factory parts, nor am I sure I have the time/patience to DIY it.

 

Now, I"m sure I'm gonna wad up someone's jim shorts on this, but;

The kit spoken of here, and available on ebay for ~$150 is not terrible. some have had less than desireable results, and made claims that it's a little fragile. I have no other to compare it to,so i can't fully comment on fragility, I thought it was ok. Performance wise it's a B+ or better, IMHO. The advantage of the kit is that it shuts off with the TB, and you have the benefit of the usb port on the board for bluetooth, or whatever. I will also say that next time around, I'll be DIYing it myself.
You can also wire one in yourself, it's not that bad. IMO, if you are familiar with soldering (as in, have experience) then you should do ok. READ THE GPS THREAD, a few times, and go for it. Or not. do this at your own risk though, I'm not responsible for your actions.

I just think plugging stuff in and leaving it sticking out or hanging off of one's toughbook is.... wrong. but that may just be me and remember, you are judged the way you judge people, and since I'm an easy target, I try not to judge others for thier choices; unless they're friggin idiots or full of sheit

 

I have a refurbished CF-19 on order, its going to replace the Sony ux-380 that I use daily to repair vehicles.

 

We have gone here before, but I'll bite. You probably know this, but you will need some sort of basic GPS "viewing" software(heck, I just got my first smart phone so I guess I can call them apps now ). I use Visual GPS and GPSinfo, you will get the latter on your disk with the BU353. Lots of forum members like WinFast Navigator, but Visual GPS works much better for me, I don't need the pseudo "dash board", and VGPS actually lets you save logs of gps tracks, etc. GPSinfo can be a life saver as it will search out the com port your GPS is using. So far we have not spent a dime so get 'em all!
Street Navigation: Microsoft Streets and Trips, iNav iGuidance, Garmin whatever. I use S&T because it has a lot of features I use, planning, push pin markers with hot links to web sites. If you are primarily interested in daily street navigation, iGuidance might be a better choice as the interface has big buttons, a plus with touchscreens in vehicles. I don't know personally about the others, I will only use Garmin products as a last resort, they charge exhorbitant prices for their maps which they chop up into small pieces to maximize their revenue and your aggravation.
Off road we find Delorme, Nat. Geo, Garmin, et.al. I have experience only with Delorme, they were first to the party and I see no reason to change.
For more advanced work, there are better programs, Fugawi, OZI Explorer, and the like, good because you can download virtually any map you want for free if you are willing to put in the time, bad because you have to put in the time.
For marine work I use Maptech Offshore Navigator because its really a good program and uses charts which are FREE. Unfortunately they won't sell it as a stand alone any more, you have to buy it with a bunch of expensive charts, there are others but I do not have any personal experience with them.
CAP

 

I live on the Great Barrier Reef in Oz and have killed a few laptops before discovering Toughbooks. When a new laptop only lasts 6 weeks before it is left under an open hatch and a rogue wave on a calm day takes it out, you start thinking that the sea is a harsh environment and you should never sail with open hatches.

My Toughbook is up to the task and is the heart of my daily chores. Navigation, weather forecasts, communicating with family and customers, design work and everything else I need as well. The applications I use most include Maxsea for navigation, UGRIB for weather probabilities, CorelDRAW, J-Tides, Paint Shop Pro, and MS Office. Even though I have a plotter in the cockpit and another at the nav station I still find the convenience of working at the nav station then taking the Toughbook into the cockpit a much preferred option to using the Raymarine in the cockpit then re-entering the way-points on the Navman down below.

Then after hours it will play music, videos and games to while away the dark hours. Next to my first mate (who also has one) my Toughbook is my favorite sailing companion.

Now if i could just get it to make me coffee when it wakes me it might make it into the first mates spot!

 

Look into something called X10. It's home automation that you can scale from 1 appliance to your whole house, err, boat. I'm sure this would be perfect.
Now, if you had said "golden toast", I probably wouldn't have had an answer...

 

Toast is easy. Just take out the rubber thermal pads & replace them with Arctic silver - you'll be makin' toast with your ToughBook in no time.

mnem
Nulls have all the fun...