ITS News

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Last week I wrote about a recent phone conversation that I had with Dell’s product manager for the Latitude ATG, the ruggedized notebook I’ve been test-driving. In the conversation, the PM mentioned the top 3 things their user base (mobile workers) cited as most important in a portable: 1) data protection, 2) chassis protection, and 3) an LCD that’s viewable outdoors.

Turns out that while you largely agreed with those points, you had plenty more to add as well. One reader wrote that “secure and universal connectivity” is of utmost importance to him. “I don’t want anyone around me with a device capable of creating wireless ad-hoc networks to be able to do so with my equipment, which means I want something significantly stronger than WEP or even EAP already built in,” he adds.

Another reader took the idea of a viewable LCD one step further, saying he “needs a bright enough screen not just to see, but bright enough to do hours of work (when warm enough I use my old NEC Versa Daylite on my deck to do computer programming all day).” This concern is closely tied to the comment of another reader who wants “better batteries.”

These last two comments struck a chord with me, as I just got a particularly eye-opening lesson on the correlation between screen brightness and battery life. On an especially bright Bay Area day, I took the Latitude ATG with me to the service station where I got my truck smogged. While I waited, I worked outside in the direct sunlight to see just how clear a 500-nit screen could look.

Bottom line: it looked great. The clarity was so good that I felt I could have been looking at the screen indoors. But to achieve that clarity, I had to crank the display brightness up all the way. Knocking it down even one notch caused the screen to darken enough that it bothered me. Yet that action also added nearly an hour onto the estimated battery time that remained.

So for the time being, it appears that the brightness/battery life issue hasn’t exactly been put to bed. But Dell (and other laptop vendors, for that matter) would do well to note that mobile workers beyond the ones they survey have some differing opinions on what matters most in a notebook.

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Looks like there may be a real release date for one of the world’s most talked-about (and contentious) mobile products–the Apple iPhone.

A news.com blogger just gave a call to an AT&T Wireless sales rep and asked for the iPhone release date–and he got an answer: June 11. The date falls on the first day of the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference, which will take place June 11-15 in San Francisco.

The availability of the iPhone follows months of brawling between Cisco and Apple over the product’s name–as well as months of speculation about ease-of-use and security issues.

While Apple’s obviously been hitting them out of the park with its mobile gadgets, it remains to be seen whether the iPhone will follow suit. From my perspective, it’s been somewhat frustrating, though generally tolerable, when my iPod freezes and I have to reset it–but experiencing limiting usability issues in my phone would be another matter.

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Intel has reportedly created a Wi-Fi setup that spans up to 60 miles. While this is music to the ears of any tech trekker, it won’t be available for the likes of you and me. Rather, the company plans to implement it in developing markets–for example, rural villages that aren’t wired at all. Another factor that makes the setup tailored for these markets is its low-cost: these towers would cost several hundred dollars apiece, while WiMax towers will cost several thousand.

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I caught up with Dell’s product manager for the Latitude ATG (the ruggedized laptop I’ve been toting around for the last few weeks) a couple days ago. The first thing I noticed was how the PM referred to the notebook as “semi-rugged” and was sure to point out that it’s not “rugged” in the sense of the traditional rugged notebook. Seems like another case of wanting to have your rugged cake and eat it too.

Another interesting thing about the call were the three key areas the PM explained were the things their vertical-market customers want in a ruggedized laptop: 1) data protection, 2) chassis protection, and 3) an LCD that’s viewable outdoors.

These claims seem reasonable, but I’m always curious to know the parameters vendors use to draw their conclusions. And just like vendors never want the press to stress-test their portables, they’re always hesitant to give exact answers to survey-type questions.

“We’re always talking to our customers,” the PM responded. Yes, right–but when? How many? Which markets exactly? All of those factors and more play a role in survey results, which can look quite different depending on the parameters used.

As the regular, real-world users of laptops like the Latitude ATG–is Dell right in saying these are the three things you want most in a notebook? You tell me at techtreks@gmail.com.

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It may not be pouring yet, but the rain is starting to set in on HDDs. After Fujitsu’s news just days ago that it’ll offer flash-based solid state drives (SSDs) in its two new LifeBook ultraportables, Hitachi announced that it’ll close one of its HDD plants in Mexico.

For all the new technologies constantly hitting the market, old technologies do die hard–the new Dell laptop I’m now test-driving has a serial port in it, for crying out loud. So it’ll likely be some time before the HDD truly becomes a thing of the past. That said, Hitachi’s news can only be seen as another portent of what’s eventually in store for traditional hard drives.

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Fujitsu just announced that it’s putting solid state (flash-based) drives–SSDs–into its LifeBook P1610 and B6210 ultraportables. Read: no more spinning HDD parts to damage when you drop the laptop. Reported SSD advantages also include faster boot-up and data access due to the fact that there are no more spinning platters, seek time, and latency issues. A distinct disadvantage is the markup, which can run in excess of a thousand bucks for an SSD over a regular HDD.

The move has Fujitsu following in Samsung’s footsteps, as the latter was first out of the SSD-gate last fall with the announcement of its Q30 notebook.

Incidentally, Fujitsu is also rugged-izing the cases of both new LifeBooks. But fortunately for the mobile workforces who’ll use them, the LifeBooks weigh about two and three pounds, respectively. Other companies with rugged systems, like the Dell Latitude ATG I’ve been using for a couple of weeks now, would do well to follow Fujitsu’s examples in the weight arena.

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I’m into my second week of using Dell’s ruggedized laptop, the Latitude ATG. I still have to steel myself each time before I pick up my backpack with the ATG inside. I’ll admit that it’s felt a little easier with each passing day, so maybe that means it’s helping me get in better shape.

The screen has continued to impress me; its colors are exceptionally vivid and it’s looked good in all of the lighting conditions I’ve used it in so far. The steel hinges that anchor the screen to the base are pretty rock-solid, as is the lid itself. Usually when you grab the sides of a laptop screen with both hands and try to twist it, you get a decent amount of bend. But I hardly got any bend at all with the Dell, even when I twisted just about as hard as I could.

I can’t say the same thing about the extended battery that shipped with the laptop. While most of the battery fits in a bay under the system, part of it extends along the front of the system, as if you attached a thick ruler length-wise to the front of the laptop. Dell tried to make the most of this design by having the extended portion double as a wrist-rest. Problem is, it doesn’t feel like it can support much pressure–from, say, a 2×4 being accidentally dropped on it at a construction site–without breaking off.

Another thing that I continue to notice about this laptop is how its touchpad (it has a pointing stick, too, though I’m partial to the former) feels noticeably smooth. I’m surprised by this since touchpads are usually a dime a dozen. The keyboard could use some toughening up; the keys feel sort of flimsy and they snap off with hardly any pressure–not the best trait for a “rugged” laptop.