Why ToughBook?

Just curious, what do you guys use your ToughBook for?

edit: What line of work/environment do you use it in?

 

I use mine to smash other laptops so they buy a toughbook

Work, as I have went through 3 standard laptops in one year.

 

I just have one so I don't have to deal with babying a normal craptop...

 

Just read this thread and you will know why I use a Toughbook: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=462491&highlight=robs+rant

 

I think that the only "NEED" for power comes from gamers... Seriously if I wanted a "Gaming laptop" I wouldn't bat an eye at buying a top of the line DELL with a video card.

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

 

Well Rob I think you covered all of it

Good Job

TB2010

 

EVERYTHING but gaming. and toss in some extras like a handy stool for the kids, a flat surface for soldering circuits out in the field, a large GPS unit, a handy weapon to smack the idiots that think their pretty macbook is going to last them longer, and most of all, they keep my family connected when im servicing electronics in the middle of frigging nowhere with sat internet.

oh did I also forget to mention they last alot longer.

 

I like all of Rob's responses... Plus I like smashing other laptops too... I have fixed so many DC adapters on SOOOOO many laptops.... Then when you open them up... You realize they also have broken frames on the inside.... And the customer doesn't even realize what bad shape he/she's in... When you tell them they ALWAYS say... Well... Just go ahead and fix the adapter and do what you can with the rest. I try to fix some stuff.... But other stuff is just too far gone.

I got my wife a CF-18 as her girlfriend came over one weekend and borrowed her (then) Sony Vaio... The cute little one with the 10.5" screen... Really cool looking... The GF picked it up by the corner of the LCD and then said.... "Hey, the picture disappeared! Did I DO SOMETHING WRONG?"

Um... Yeah.... She cracked the entire LCD.... I couldn't find a replacement for less than $450. I couldn't take it out on trade so she wrote a check!

 

I work for Large annual/perennial plant distributor. My hands and work areas on-site are always wet and dirty. I can use my Toughbook without being afraid of the crud. I can also just chuck it behind the Jeep seat every day, no case or TLC needed.

 

As an Automotive technician (Land Rover)I use mine for our diagnostic software, so it gets drug around a lot, in and out of cars in a non-laptop friendly environment....

 

The WHOLE point.... You can take these (and USE them) where others would melt, break, fall apart, crack, etc.....


THAT is why we use them!

 

It's the best thing that I have seen since a pre 64 Winchester. All kinds of cool doors to open and it doesn't need to be handled like a baby.
Eventually, mapping establishing property boundaries and just go along for the ride. And it will ride in or on anything.
The LAQ will replace my desktop and I will throw that plastic piece of junk in the dump. And have room on the desk for my arms. And close the lid to keep the dust out. Etc.
My wife likes hers because she can touch type on it without losing a half hours work by leaning on the little plastic buttons of her old notebook. They used to teach typing in school 40 years ago.

Good question and a good thread.


Jeff (A real newbie but I have three)

 

I live in the middle of nowhere and would be interested in a description of your set-up. The satellite deal interests me.

Thanks, Jeff

 

I bought mine for work. It will be one of my main sources of communication with my family when abroad. I can not trust that to a gaming machine.

 

I have a CF-30 which I use as a portable database server for onsite work. The main reason I went with a Toughbook for a server is because it is well suited to shipping, and because the battery life exceed 15 hours with the screen turned off and the CPU clocked down (with media bay battery installed).

My staff have CF-18/19 tablets which are used to capture and feed data to the database. We use toughbook tablets as terminals because they're fairly cheap (we buy used), robust, and have excellent touchscreens.

 

I can really appreciate your rant on Apple because I fix them for a living.
Up until recently, I used to tell customers "sure, we can fix your iBook, but this will cost you 3 hours or labor for us to take apart, replace the HDD, put it back together, and install the OS" . Then 2 iBooks came in yesterday... The first one wouldn't power on, I said "It's done. I'm just gonna rip it open and grab your data" This is what happened to the 2nd one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXEfk2ghmOY

 

ScreenCounty: Great prices on LCDs. Not as cheap as Bliss but they send the right part. They score a 6.88/10 on reseller ratings, which is pretty good.

 

My mobile data / video conferencing station is a CF-29 or CF-30 and depending where I am at I will borrow an irriduim satelite phone which can act as a modem, but should I be in one place for maore than a day or 2 I have a Netkaster satelite internet setup on a tripod and a good satelite finder. needless to say a small generator or a vehicle close does come into play.

 

I charge 3 hours of labor at $80/hour for apples! The crazy people actually PAY IT! GAH!

 

I know, andd they're sooooo happy to have that piece of crap back.

 

Why are they crazy? If the value of the data is worth more than $240 then the decision is an easy one.

 

think we were meaning 80 an hour to repair the machine itself not pull data. Data I can certantly understand as I do enough drive pulls and data backups.

 

Me and my co-workers generally just get in the boxing ring and box to see who has to take the stupid ibook's apart...

 

I use mine for daily laptop stuff. I baby them and they never get beaten or wet!

Why do I have it? It looks cool. It isn't another Dell or HP. And if I WAS to drop it or spill on it... no biggie!

 

People that buy an Apple deserve what they get.

Frankly, the OS is pretty solid, I have a Hackintosh here that I built from parts for $10.50 to play with Snow Leopard. It was a smart move to reskin BSDUnix, but the hardware is less then impressive.

What really annoys me is that most Apple Owners will cheerfully admit that they don't know anything about computers, and yet paradoxically will claim to be among the "Computer Elite" because they "know" that bought a "better" machine! They have a hard time telling you why, past "babble babble less viruses" and "mumble mumble software." Oh, and "Artists use them!"

Most are computer idiots in desperate need of validation for their computer decisions. In my opinion, Apple's marketing hype is some of their best "Programming!"

A Toughbook is a thinking man's computer, that you could give to an idiot to try and destroy.

 

Ive had my Dell Latitude D620 for as long as i can remember. And the only problem its had is the hinge is loose/cracking. I recently aquired my CF-28, and then a CF-27. I just turned 15 and as a teen, im rough on my stuff. But the toughbook? Doesnt faze it at all... I can remember the first day i got my 28 and the look on my parents face when they came in and saw my toughbook in the sink, working, with water being sprayed on it. It does what i need it to do, facebook, ebay, email and icy tower along with NES emulators. So yes, even the young who are jobless use the toughbook and are happy.

 

Yea, rip it apart, put hard drive in external enclosure: COST $15.

 

The iBook G4 is notoriously time-consuming to open up and remove the drive.

If you're going to open it up, you might as well fix it.

 

The current range of Apple laptops is actually pretty damned good.

 

OK, why?

 

There's a lot of really good things in the OS X environment (e.g. Time Machine, lack of viruses and malware etc).

But putting that discussion to one side, here is what I like about the current laptop hardware:

The unibody design is pretty robust (compared to previous designs)
The magsafe adapter is a great idea
The capacity of the batteries is above the industry average
The 'button-less' trackpads are excellent
Backlit keyboards standard on most models
Magnetic catches on the screens are well implemented

Here is what annoys me about the current hardware:

Not enough USB ports
No docking stations
No eSATA ports
The mini-display graphic port is annoying
Updates are currently behind schedule (still waiting for i5 & i7)
Glossy screens (I prefer the matte - but it is only available on the MacBook Pro)
Factory SSD options are limited (e.g. no Intel X25)
Factory memory upgrades are stupidly expensive
Expensive to repair (there's no warranty option for accidental damage)

 

hmmm OSX ... messed up version of free BSD for morons.

Time machine and Timecapsules are a joke, guess how many thousands of hours of data recovery I have done on them. great for the average consumer but I would never trust TM for important data with the way it likes to corrupt on occasion, the TC... well that thing should be totally reworked.

Magsafe ... I accept its somewhat cool but has its share of connection issues especialy if you get it dirty or bend it alot.

Battery life ... hmmm My old TB-29 mark 4 gets better battery life then my NEW MBP 13", 15" AND 17" with its origional battery... toss in a media bay battery I can double it easily. at forst they were above average, now they are just average or below average, the thinkpads, many of the ASUS and quite a few of the sonys exceed the MBP's battery life. right now king of battery life is the ASUS U and UL series as well as the Toughbooks.

butonless trackpad. Nice but hey I see enough of them broken to bits after a drop or 2. Multi touch IS a nice feature though.

Backlight keyboard .... Hey guys havent we had these on the TB's for around 15 years now im SURE I replaced a few in the mid 90's ??????

mag catches ... okay but USELESS if you drop the machine, ot opens up and usually messes up a screen.

now traditional viruses I will agree with you on .. malware I will not, I have seen quite a few instances of keyloggers and other security issues on OSX. that is why any of the high security networks I work on if you want a * Nix environment .. you use Solaris, AIX or an actual Linux environment.

its hard to comapre a crappy consumer grade laptop to a workhorse ... Fugly and functional beats pretty, polished and pointless anyday.

and FYI. YES I am Apple certified repair. and have owned Apple products since 1986 so PLEASE dont tell me I have no idea about Apple and their products.

 

Well... I know we have several on here who bought them for their kids... For obvious reasons...

 

Crazycanuck tell us how you really feel, lol. off topic what's your take on the Ipad.

 

Yeah whats the deal with people buying Ipads and destroying them on purpose?

 

Well B3, I will give you credit, you make a honest argument, unlike the impassioned nonsense I hear from most Apple Owners!

And since your other talking points have been addressed by my colleague from the great nation of Canada, I will just address the virus/malware issue.

If you are willing to buy a computer because the lack of viruses and malware that effect it, then go with Linux! The only reason that the Mac is less targeted is its relative obscurity on the PC market! As Linux makes up 1.03% of the market compared to Mac's 5.33%! And unlike Linux, it is less secure thanks to Apples kibitzing with a proven OS! Window on the other hand makes up over 91%, so of course more software, good and bad is written for it!

I say, Obscurity is not necessarily Security! I yield the floor,

 

I just want to take this time to state this very carefully and hope I am heard.

Apple is NOT imune to viruses. Yes there are less virus out there but time and time again people have demonstrated how easy it is to hack a Macintosh.

Hackers say that Mac's are the easiest to hack.

Linux has alot of security features blocking hackers that Mac removed to be more userfriendly.

In other words Mac OS is not any more secure then Windows.

So why is it so easy to hack a mac?

Because macs don't run antivirus programs or other intrusion prevention programs.

also to add: Linux as well as Solaris servers DO run anti virus programs. Viruses exist for every OS and anybody serious about keeping their box safe runs anti virus (if others have access to the box).

The only time you don't need anti virus is if no program has the privilege to install anything or modify anything. But again for the sake of user friendliness Windows and Mac OS grand these privileges.

 

Re the iPad. Already hearing bad feedback on them, Jobs calls the suckers "early adopters", and says that all will be made well. I hear one of the major glitches is with wireless connections, I believe the only way to get information into the iPad. How you gonna update with no wireless? I believe Mnem pointed out that they don't even have USB ports. Why would you build a computer without USB ports?
CAP

 

That's what really blows my mind about the iPad ..... more like an oversized iPhone than a real computer.

 

its cute for basic web browsing and thats about all. after a week and a half of mine my likes and dislikes:

Like:

flip it upside down it makes a decent mousepad for my Razor mouse.

OK as a basic web browser for non flash sites.

not bad battery life but hey 2/3 of it IS a battery.

Dislike:

1: Its heavy as a book reader. My kindle is less than half the weight and readable in direct light. better battery too.

2: wireless is glitchy and crappy signal strengths, sorely lacking on its wifi sorry Apple.

3: it overheats like mad in a high ambiant temperature area or when you have it in direct sunlight. that overheat error IS annoying.

4: finger prints .... "resists fingerprints" ... HA after a couple of hours of use it looks like a 4 year old with chocolate on her hands has got ahold of it.

5: storage. come on 32 or 64 GB many smartphones have more storage and many more yet have micro SD card readers.

6: no webcam, it MAY make a decent video conferencer IF you fix the wifi issues and add a camera.

7: lack of ports, I HATE dongles and adaptors, it nulifies the portability aspect.

8: messed with the USB spec so a standard USB port cant charge it worth a darn. USB is a STANDARD please keep it as such.

9: awkward to type on, you wind up tossing it on a desk or using your lap as a table anyways. Keyboard needs improvement as well.

10: GLAREOMATIC. this thing is unreadable in direct sunlight or in a bright environment heck its worse than the old Acer glareomatic 14" laptops from a few years ago.

and my biggest gripe, its closed to the Apple store and I really cant stand paying a fortune to Apple for apps I get for freeware off the net.

yep its a huge iPod touch, cant call it an iPhone .. it hase no native phone capabilities. and oh yes, sound qualtiy ... thats a debate for later.

very true since Apple changed the security system of BSD to be quicker and easier to work with for the average joe, but the flip side is the security is WAY down now.

as for hacking OSX .. OSX and safari has been the fastest hacked machine for the last few years now. Charlie Miller did it again this year at the security conference in Vancouver in " a couple " of seconds. and yes it was a fully patched OSX machine too.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2917
http://cansecwest.com/

he he, my kids have taste, one has a CF-29, the other a CF-18, the baby, well shes under a year and just bangs on the broken ones

 

Hey, i worked hard to buy my toughbooks, and buy parts to make therm run better, and trust me, operating systems arent cheap, but making my own caddy for the cf-28 saved me loads. Kind of off topic here, but didnt you(TOUGHBOOK) say we need to have support for older, discontinued models, such as the cf-27 and the cf-28? Do you think that if me and a couple of other users get enough info together. we could have a resource thread for the models??

 

Ubuntu is... it is free.

 

Sure... We can start a CF-27 thread... Though most f it is directly transferable to the CF-28.... Except it is slower.... What do you suggest?

 

That depends on how one values their time... after watching y'all over on the LINUX thread trying to get your touchscreens going, I am reminded why... even though I despise Micro$oft's arguably criminal business model... they are STILL the least painful for the average user to implement.

I UNDERSTAND *NIX... I really do. I just don't like it.

If I had my choice I'd go back to CP/M first; it makes more sense. Of course if I were a software guy I would write my own... again. But I'm a hardware guy, so I'll let the OTHER squints do that.

mnem
You always pay for what you want. Either you pay with your own time to learn how to do it for yourself, or you pay someone else to do it for you.

 

As much as i would love to break free of Microsoft, I just can't do it. If we could get the touchscreen's and the touch pads working correctly, i may think about switching over. But as of now, I have to stay with XP. Speaking of Ubuntu though, has anyone ever tried the wubi installer from inside windows, and booted correctly? Wouldn't using wubi from inside windows also use the drivers found in windows too? Thus fixing the touchscreen issue.

 

Sorry to revive an old thread... why did I do I need a Toughbook? I don't. I have a Dell M4400 because I do CAD work and need/want a portable CAD station. However, until the end of the week I still have a Panasonic CF-29 in my hands and I must admit after playing with the touch screen I have to remember touching the screen on my M4400 just puts finger prints on the LCD!

Anyway, I have a friend who does construction. He asked me about upgrading computers. His current computer was a P3 desktop. I figured just about any thing would do what he needs so I started looking for a new desktop on the cheap (money is tight here). Then he decided he wanted a laptop to use on the job site... That worried me. He's hard on stuff. He broke every cellphone he's ever had save for the iDen R-750 which is build to survive the same specs as any Toughbook. So lets review, cheap but used on construction job sites by someone who is hard on his stuff. Honestly I was trying to talk him out of a laptop. Then I was looking at refurb Dell education netbooks. The netbook is powerful enough for his needs and thanks to the low voltage processor they don't such that much air through to cool the CPU. They also don't have CD-rom drives to get dirty. The education models had thicker housings that added some durability. Overall they seemed to spec similarly to the Panasonic slightly Toughbooks in terms of durability. I figured that would be the best I could do for around $400.

Thank you SBC. I know some seem a bit miffed that SBC dumped a few thousand CF-29s on the market. The one I bought seems decent enough and even with an old battery still delivers almost 3 hours of useful life with a screen on full bright. It's not that powerful and cost about twice as much as other used laptops with similar power. It doesn't mater. If it lasts two years its a better deal than what ever other computer he would have broken by then.

I think someone who was careful with his computer could probably do the same job with a non-rugged computer. Even my friend might have been OK with a semi-rugged computer like a CF-51 or the ATG Dells. But this is far and away the cheapest rugged computer you can get right now and it should be more than up to the abuse he will give it.

Also, as a part time firefighter he is familiar with the Toughbook line. He does get a bit of macho pride from owning one. That never hurts.

 

Why are people miffed about SBC? Are a lot of SBC laptops abused? I think one of my might have been an SBC laptop...

I bought a toughbook because I like to be able to work in places I like to be (instead of just in the safety of my home or office), like in my back yard while my kids are playing in the sprinkler, or maybe at the beach. With a CF-29 I can see the screen outdoors and not have to be terrified the kids are gonna get water on it.

Or that I'm gonna spill my beer on it.

Plus, it's just frickin' cool.

Aerik

 

OK...I admit that I may have a hard time keeping my hands clean, but I am in no way a kid!

 

"Old truckers never die; they just get a new Peterbilt."

 

That's a pretty good idea... so far, they just use the home desktop, but I think as they get into higher grades, their needs will more often conflict with mine and my wifes... somebody's gonna need another computer, and a used TB for the kids is an idea I'm gonna have to remember. Maybe by then I'll be getting a CF-30 and they can use my CF-29

Aerik