The webworkers computer has arrived
January 18th, 2007 (2:56pm) Chris Gilmer 26 CommentsTweet This
Webworkers have a tough job of lugging around gear, especially laptops, to café’s and comfortable working places all over the world. Do we deserve a semi-rugged laptop? The most prized possession of webworkers seems to be their laptop. Its basically never leaves our side. It gets banged around, thrown down on tables, used to sop up coffee and crumbs, and never gets a break. It gets scratched and scolded, worn down and used. So maybe we deserve a stronger, more durable solution. One that meets strict military standards.
I caught an article by Antone Gonsalves about this new Dell ATG that launched. It’s a military grade laptop that is built for durability and reliability. Dell advertises that it has been deigned for demanding work environments where dust (sandy beaches, cookie crumbs) and moisture (coffee, lattes) are daily encounters. Doesn’t that sound like a webworkers environment too you? It even has a shock mounted hard drive and LCD screen for those times when your bag accidentally falls off of a café table.
The paint on it even has an extra layer for protection against scratches and daily wear and tear. Webworkers are constantly banging away at laptop keyboards, and opening and closing screens, how perfect is that? What do you think? Has Dell just unknowingly invented the perfect laptop for webworkers?
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I hate to be the guy that says it, but most web workers I know run OS X. This thing doesn’t.
And it weighs how much?
And I agree w/ Justin on the OS X front.
Yes, but does it explode ??
Can we take Dell’s on airplanes now? I know an Asian airline banned Dell and Sony laptops for a while.
It’s a Dell running some version of Windows….Hell No! LOL
I’ve heard from many a web worker that runs windows happily.
One more “Such a pity I cannot install OS X on it”…
But this is directed at Apple, not Dell.
I’ve carried laptops with me everywhere for probably 10 years now. At least back to the days of the PowerBook 180. Yes, I’ve been lucky a few times, but only broken one through a drop. And that was because I forgot to zip the knapsack it was stored in. I fixed that by going back to a regular laptop case.
My point. I’m not convinced that a military grade laptop is going to do the trick. The reality is that these laptops are a bit delicate and only through a little care will they work as we need them. That care includes being watchful as I carry mine, being a bit neat when eating or drinking near my laptop.
Yeah accidents happen. But being careful will also help.
Dell and “perfect laptop” in the same sentence?
Joking aside, I imagine that the added protection probably leads to a trade-off in weight. I’d settle for a light weight laptop with a good insurance policy/a little extra care over something heavy/armor plated any day. Panasonic has had a line of “Toughbooks” for a while now. I know a lot of guys “in the field” that use them, but I wouldn’t for everyday business applications.
It’s funny how the writer keeps on comparing cafe’s with warzones.
Looks quite a bit like the Dell Lattitude D820 that I have. Although I use my Fujitsu T4210 Tablet more than anything else.
My old Sony Vaio twice fell off airline/rental car checkin counters without suffering damage, thanks to the rugged Lands’ End laptop backpack it was in.
My current Dell Latitude travels from Lecco to Milan and back almost every day, and has been to various other points of the globe from Vegas to Rome without undue suffering on my part or its. I just wish I could have all the processor power, screen size, and HD capacity with less weight. Even in my comfy new LL Bean school pack, it gets awfully heavy. (In Europe, we WALK a lot.)
Wow. Looks so heavy.
You are joking, right! They are heavy, ugly, and ugly.
* Weight is 6.25 lbs.
* Screen is much brighter than normal, for outdoor use.
* Shockmounted drive etc.
Prices START at $2500 and go to over $3k!!
Conclusion: not a good choice for cafe based webworkers. A better fit might be blogging lumberjacks and Kellog Brown and Root contractors.
Like Justin at comment #1 says – Nope, not perfect. It doesn’t run OS X.
as a new member of the webworker army, i’m here to tell you that weight/luggability is a big big issue. that thing looks like a ton of bricks.
_r
whats wrong with these apple freaks? get a ilife, stop bashing anything that doesn’t have apple name on it.
What about the Panasonic Toughbooks? They’ve been around for years.
Damn, 2500$… For that price buy yourself a nice MacBookPro it will fit all your needs… resist almost anything (unless an elephant walk on it) and is so much nicer than this ugly dell… i’m not into this OS War between Apple and Microsoft, but admit it, Mac Os X is simplier, so powerfull and admit it, when it comes to design… Apple come first way before other electronic manufacters…
And just to conclude, for that price if I had to choose between this dell and a MacBook Pro, ah…! this isn’t even a question, everyone will choose the same stuff, case closed.
As cool and sleek as my new MacBook Pro is, it’s slippery too. I almost dropped it today and I was thinking I need some sort of gripper surface to the thing to keep that from happening again. At least someone out there is thinking of these things.
Dave C. Stick a strip of the fluffy half of velcro along all 4 edges on the top and underside of your MacBook Pro. Not pretty, but gives you something to grip.
As far as the Dell goes… Well, it wouldn’t be far enough. Too heavy. No problems with the os, install Linux and get a refund from Dell. (ducks & runs)
Dell aside, if anyone is interested in Rugged Computers Group Mobile has a full list of rugged computers by several different manufacturers. Not all of them are as expensive or as heavy as the Dell model. To the first comment by Chris, there is Semi-Rugged and there is Fully-Rugged. We could all use a Semi-Rugged machine! The Fully-Ruggeds are the ones that the military, construction workers use because they are ultra heavy duty. The semi-ruggeds are for the everyday people that need something a but more sturdy than a conventional plastic computer.
oops, that was a “bit” more sturdy. Sorry for the typo!
I think more durability and sturdiness comes with bulkiness and heavier weights. It’s a tradeoff. Hopefully they will come up with a new technology that doesn’t put more weight to the laptop. Everyone who has to carry a laptop around know that the longer you carry it, the heavier it seems.