Rubber gaskets, shock-mounted hard drives and rugged exterior coatings may go a long way in making a notebook tough, but they certainly don’t flatter them on the scale. Most rugged notebooks weigh far more than their consumer-grade counterparts, leading to an interesting paradox: You can take them anywhere, but probably won’t want to.
Getac’s new 9213 rugged business notebook defies that expectation with a weight of just 3.9 pounds – not at all excessive for a machine in its 13.3-inch size class. Getac pulled it off with a magnesium alloy chassis, which is extremely strong for its weight, along with other light-but-tough components.
The “business rugged” classification isn’t quite as impressive as its mil-spec cousin, but should be more than enough for the avid traveler who’s prone to a mishap now and then. It can withstand falls of about 30 inches, shake off spills on its liquid-resistant keyboard, and hold up under 265 pounds of weight.
Hardware specs on the 9213 include a frugal 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor that should deliver up to eight hours of battery life, a shock-protected hard drive up to 250GB, 13.3-inch WXGA screen with LED backlighting for readability outdoors, two digital microphones, 1.3-megapixel webcam, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
Like most rugged PC vendors targeting government and business buyers, Getac doesn’t list an MSRP for the 9213, but you can of course expect to pay a bit of a premium over consumer-grade alternatives. More information, including a complete spec list, can be found at Getac.
