Compact rugged Tablet PC
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

On February 20, 2008, Roper Mobile Technology -- a subsidiary of Roper Industries that combines DAP Technologies, JLT Mobile Computers, and Black Diamond Advanced Technology -- introduced the Duros Rugged Tablet PC. The Duros is a fourth generation Windows XP-based tablet PC that is sealed to IP-65 specifications and passes the requisite MIL-STD 810F ruggedness tests. Equipped with a sunlight-viewable 8.4-inch SVGA resistive touchscreen and powered by either an AMD Geode LX 800 or a 1GHz Intel Celeron M, the comes with hard drives up to 120GB (or a solid state drive up to 64GB). The battery is hot swappable and the Duros has integrated WiFi, Bluetooth, GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS and optional GPS. It is geared towards harsh field applications such as mining, construction, utilities, public safety or military.

Below you can see the Roper Mobile Duros mounted in a vehicle where it can become a rugged mobile communication and navigation center thanks to its optionally available integrated GPS. While Roper Mobile bills the Duros as a fourth generation Windows XP-based Tablet PC, the device can actually also run XP Embedded and Linux. XP Embedded generally runs on a solid state disk, adding reliability and speed. Roper offers solid state disks up to 64GB.

The image below shows potential applications of the Roper Mobile Duros rugged Tablet PC. It is sealed to IP65 specifications, which means it is totally impervious against dust penetration and it can handle low pressure water jets directed at it from any direction without leaking. Rugged construction, light weight and protective rubber bumpers combine to providing excellent protection against rough handling and accidental drops. The Duros was tested according to the MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5 "drop" procedure and survived 26 drops from four feet. It can also handle a very wide operating temperature range from -4 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Duros is smaller than it looks. With a footprint of just 10.2 x 7.8 inches and a thickness of 1.7 inches, it's very compact and handy. It also only weighs 1.9 pounds, making it ultra-portable. The silvery aluminum housing has an elegant powdercoated finish that goes well with the protective black rubber bumpers and cladding.

Strengths of the Roper Mobile Duros are the very compact size, the superb ruggedness, its configurability for various wireless options and networks, and the fact that it can either be configured as a full function Windows XP computer with a hard disk, or a dedicated device running XP Embedded or Linux on a Solid State disk.