Getac 9213 Rugged Notebook Combines Small and Tough

Getac's new 9213 rugged notebook offers the durability and power of a traditional notebook...but weighs in at only 3.7 pounds.

Ruggedized notebook computers can be a great thing for engineers, first responders, law enforcement, contractors, inspectors, or just about anybody who needs to take a computer into the boonies—whether urban or rural. They take the bumps and thumps and detritus of a hard knock life and keep on ticking a whole lot better than those fragile and fashionable notebooks all the cool kids are carrying around. But while ruggedized notebooks are built like tanks…they also weigh like tanks, making them a bit of a bear to haul around. Getac—an MiTAC subsidiary that spun out of Ge Aeorspace—aims to solve that problem with the Getac 9213 rugged notebook, which aims to put all the power of a traditional notebook computer in a lightweight, easily portable system that can still stand up to a tough life on the go.

“Our customers and resellers have been asking for a business-rugged computer that is small and lightweight but still offers many of the durability and security features found in our fully-rugged products,” said Getax president Jim Rimay, in a statement. “By leveraging 20 years building fully rugged computers, we were able to design the new Getac 9213 to withstand the drops, shocks, and spills mobile professionals experience in an incredibly lightweight system with excellent battery life.”

The Getac 9213 sports a 1.4 GHz low-voltage Intel Core 2. Duo processor, 1 GB of RAM (expandable to 3 GB), and a 13.3-inch 1,280 by 800-pixel LCD display. The unit also sports gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking, a 4-in-1 media card reader, three USB 2.0 ports, an ExpressCard 34 slot, 1.3 megapixel Webcam, 2 digital mic arrays, a fingerprint scanner, and trusted platform module, and a removable optical drive. The 9213 gets up to 8 hours of battery life, but if users pop out the optical drive and snap in a second battery, they can get up to 12 hours of use.

But that’s just the specs: the 9213 also sports a magnesium alloy chassis, a shock-protected 160 or 250 GB hard disk drive, “excellent” liquid resistance with a water resistant keyboard and buttons. The unit was also drop tested up to 45cm while operating and up to 75 cm in non-operating mode. And the whole thing weighs just 3.7 pounds.

The Getac 9213 ships with Windows Vista Business; prices start at $1,799.