).
Several factors are driving this trend, according to officials at companies such as Badger Computers (Tampa, FL, (813) 972-6597), Dolch (Fremont, CA, (510) 661-2220), fieldWorks (Eden Prairie, MN, (612) 947-0856), Itronix (Spokane, WA, (509) 624-6600), and Texas Microsystems (Houston, TX, (713) 541-8200). Users in the military, heavy construction, transportation, utilities, and other professions are migrating to notebooks, which run applications ranging from word processing to custom data acq
uisition (for more information, see
"Keep the Data Moving,"
December 1995 BYTE). These rugged computers can withstand high and low temperatures, water, dust, vibration, and other nasty conditions.
Not all rugged computers are alike, however. Some can withstand harsher conditions than others, and some offer extraordinary modularity. For example, fieldWorks offers a line of modular notebooks that let you remove any part (e.g., the screen, hard drive, or keyboard) should it become damaged and get a replacement the very next day, rather than wait several weeks while the notebook is in for repair. Officials at the company say they are thus finding new buyers in mobile professionals who want a modular, rugged notebook that can easily withstand the harsh conditions of careless baggage handlers and other dangers typically found in the business world.
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Sales of rugged notebooks are increasing thanks to their flexibility.
Notebooks Take on Rugged Challenges
