Mar 17, 2009 gps navigation 2 Comments
If you’re looking for a notebook that almost weighs 7lbs look no further than GD-Itronix GD8000. That’s the price you’ll pay if you want a GPS integrated military standard rugged computer. Plus about $4000.
The specs are pretty impressive though; specially the 7200mAh battery that can last 5 hours, ability to integrate 2G or 3G mobile networks, 2GB RAM, fingerprint reader, and the DVD burner slot that can hold even more battery.
Jul 16, 2008 gps navigation 5 Comments
Toshiba recently announced Qosmio F55 laptop series, usually referred to as “gaming laptop” thanks to its Intel Core 2 Duo CPU and NVIDIA GPUs. What makes Qosmio F55s a little more interesting than the rest of the laptops is that they come with built-in GPS receiver Garmin mapping software. This makes Toshiba one of the first main stream computer manufacturers to embed a GPS receiver inside a laptop. This feature was mostly offered by government military contractors which made products such as the Getac B300, GoBook MR-1, SwitchBack, XR-1, and Catcher.
A unique feature on the Qosmio F55 laptop series is its GPS system powered by Garmin. Freeing users from the need of an Internet connection, the built-in GPS system allows users to determine their exact location within moments, as well as search for directions to millions of locations.
Another nice feature of the Qosmio series include the face recognition software that uses the built-in webcam to allow or deny access to users.
Qosmio F55-Q502 (MSRP $1,399.99)
Qosmio F55-Q503 (MSRP $1,749.99)
Jun 4, 2007 gps navigation, umpc 3 Comments
If you’ve been saving some money to buy a UMPC with GPS now is the time. Manufactured by General Dynamics, the ultra rugged GoBook MR-1 will only cost you $4450 when it comes out in September this year.
GoBook MR-1 has a brushed aluminum cover, rubber casing, port covers to keep the dust out, and a bulky antenna that houses a WWAN modem. Inside MR-1 you will find Intel’s Core Solo processor and a 40GB HDD. In terms of specs it slightly resembles the GoBook XR-1 but in terms of size MR-1 is much much smaller and lighter. The whole thing weighs 2 lbs… via
Oct 10, 2006 gps navigation Leave a comment
This is as rugged as you can get. In fact you could drop this from 2 meters high (about 7 ft.) and not feel bad at all. The Q-200 handheld computer from Itronix is an ultra-rugged device that can support 3 integrated radios (WWAN, PAN, WLAN) simultaneously. It runs Windows CE.NET operating system and features mobilitiy XE seamless roaming connectivity. It uses the strong Intel Xscale processor at 400 MHz and comes with 64 MB standard compact flash memory (upgradeable to 256MB). The screen has 320 x 240 resolution and is front-lit which can be operated using a passive pen or a finger.
The bad news is that a Itronix didn’t bother to integrate a GPS chip into the unbreakable Q-200. Here is the good news, with the optional vehicle dock you get a serial port which can be used to communicate with a GPS receiver.
The Q-200 measures 1.2″ x 4″ x 6.9″ and only weighs 1.76 lbs including the battery. Speaking of battery, Itronix claims the 2800mAH Li-Ion battery can last all day long while all the radios are on.
Not likely to be found at the nearest Best Buy. Itronix is a government contractor but some of their products have hit commercial markets before – such as the GoBook XR-1.
Sep 27, 2006 gps navigation, umpc 1 Comment
Developed by Black Diamond Advanced Technology, the SwitchBack-PC is an industrial grade UMPC that can stand working in harsh environments. The SwitchBack (named that way because you can actually switch the hardware add-ons on the back of the device) is designed to meet or exceed military specifications for shock, vibration, dust, moisture and extreme temperatures.
One of the most unusual features of the SwitchBack UMPC is that it can run multiple operating systems at the same time (Win XP, Win Mobile, Win CE, Linux) without needing a reboot. The other unique feature is what gives this UMPC its name: the capability to switch between various hardware add-ons instantly. That means you can switch between a digital camera to a terrestrial radio within seconds and when you are finally lost you can just slap on the SAASM GPS receiver to find way to the base.
The Switchback runs on a Intel 1.0 GHz Celeron M processor and comes with a 40GB HDD. The display measures 5.6 inches (1024 x 600) and is actually viewable under direct sunlight. Other wireless services other than GPS include Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity and Wi-Fi b/g.
Weighing only 3lbs the SwitchBack is lighter than most other military grade personal computing devices.
Here are all the back modules that are currently available.
Sep 10, 2006 gps navigation 3 Comments
Continuing over coverage on rugged and over priced gadgets for the military, today we present the GoBook XR-1 from Itronix, the maker of VR-1 we talked about a while ago. The VR-1 was also commercialized as the Hummer laptop with a yellow skin.
Itronix (a general dynamics company) recently (in August) announced XR-1 as the most lightest and thinnest they’ve built.
GoBook XR-1 uses Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz processor and a 40 or an 80GB SATA HDD which work well under a Microsoft XP Professional OS. Itronix not only says its their lighest, but they also claim that XR-1 is the ‘only’ fully rugged notebook available measuring 11.8″ x 9.65″ x 1.97″.
To maximize visibility the touch screen display is coated with layers of anti-reflective coating and the keyboard features glow-in-the-dark keys. Just like CATCHER, GoBook XR-1 meets MIL STD 810F ratings; making it drop/shock, vibration, water, dust, scrub proof. While most laptop makers are worried about over-heating the XR-1 comes with standard heaters for the hard disk and the display allowing the user to work under sub-zero conditions.
The device features several radios, such as WLAN, WWAN, Bluetooth, and of course GPS. Again like the CATCHER, XR-1 also has optional fingerprint scanner and smart card to simplify password entry.
It looks like Itronix will make VR-1 commercially available starting this month in North America and worldwide soon. The base configuration is priced at $4330 and can be purchased at the XR-1 website.
Sep 7, 2006 gps navigation, umpc 1 Comment
Catcher (Communications And Telemetry Computing Handheld for Emergency Response) is a ruggedized, full featured, portable computer (UMPC?) built to military standards that incorporates voice, video, data, and biometric information with multiple wireless and wired communications capabilities.
Looking at the features of CATCHER we can easily see that it surpasses todays most UMPC’s. It has a built-in fingerprint sensor for security (or just collecting fingerprints) and also can feature an RFID reader for baggage handling management or any other scenario which may require taking quick inventory. CATCHER comes with dual digital cameras; one in front and one in the back, that can capture 2MP images and allow 5 simultaneous video conferencing sessions without extra burden on the CPU thanks to their patent pending video encoder.
If it didn’t come with a GPS chip it wouldnt be featured on Navigadget! Catcher comes with an integrated GPS chip and also a softwared based “Indoor Location Service”. Not sure how they figure out your location when there’s no GPS signal – but maybe something similar to Motorola i880 we talked about which relies on GSM networks and use the position of nearest cell tower to guesstimate your location.
Since it is built for the military – they didn’t want to put in a cheap 256MB memory and a wimpy 10GB HDD. The CATCHER comes standard with a 2GB internal memory and 40GB hard disk drive. It runs the Windows XP Tablet edition which runs on a 1.7GHz Intel Mobile Pentium M processor.
Catcher is designed to military standards (namely MIL-STD-810F), so it can survive a 3ft drop onto cement, withstand 50+ G’s of shock and resist most weather conditions. The screen measures 6.4″ and is made of sunlight readable transflective LCD.
Catcher comes with an “Emergency Alert Feature” which designed to help any personnel that may be in danger.
When pressed, an alert message is sent to the server identifying the CATCHER unit number, GPS location, operator ID, and time of incident. Both cameras and the internal microphone begin recording and relaying data to command and control. The unit display remains dormant, ensuring security isn’t compromised.
Not sure how much one of these will cost but comparing it to this other GPS integrated laptop built for the military, we’re thinking somewhere around $5000 – $6000. You’ll have to join the army to use one of these anyways.
Apr 9, 2006 gps navigation 2 Comments
The VR1 from Itronix, a General Dynamics company, recently was awarded “Best of FOSE” award from Government Computer News (who knew?). This semi-rugged laptop includes integrated support for 4 RF Modems (Bluetooth, 802.11 a/b/g, GPS, and Wireless WAN and they claim it will resist any 30″ fall or less. The specs are pretty impressive like its magnesium alloy case with shock-mounted hard disk drive & display and fingerprint scanner.
The basic configuration is $3000 and if you want to add that 80 Gb heated hard disk and the integrated GPS, and upgrade the memory to 2Gb it will cost you $4300. I know I’m not getting one but the military obviously can afford this. Here are some more highlights:
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