The rugged computing space is one particular met with little competitors. Panasonic has extended been the recognized commodity when it comes to field- ready laptops and tablets. But Dell appears to keep its rivals on their toes with "the industry's 1st rugged convertible laptop," the Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Intense.
This bulging behemoth of a laptop-tablet hybrid is created for use in several higher - effect fields, namely police perform, emergency response and in the military. That is why Dell created certain that this Latitude meets several military specifications for field use &ndash MIL-STD-810G, IEC 60529 (IP-65), MIL-STD-461F, and ANSI/ISA.12.12.01, if you are keeping score.
Created to final
In other words, this laptop is really resistant to water, dust, cold, heat &ndash thanks to its isolated "QuadCool" cooling program &ndash and far more. Dell claims that the Latitude 12 can withstand repeated drops from as high as six feet. And speaking of water resistance, I poured an whole bottle of water on its bigger brother, the Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Intense, and it continued to press on. Both devices have drainage ducts to thank for that.
But Dell is also concerned with offering rugged laptops that are just as difficult on the inside. So, the Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme can be equipped with one particular of Intel's 4th generation CPUs and optional discrete graphics. You can also spec a ruggedized Latitude 12 with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of strong -state storage.
On the outside, the Latitude 12 comes sporting Dell's "RGB" backlit keyboard, which attributes several colour possibilities, namely these visible from behind nightvision goggles. The machine's HD webcam comes with a privacy shutter, for safety causes, and is joined by an 8 -MP shooter (with flash) around back.
All of this comes wrapped in a magnesium alloy frame bolstered by ultra-polymer plastic and sealed doors around its ports ( which includes USB 3. and native serial connections). Naturally, all of this hardware collectively doesn't come low cost &ndash $ 3,649 (about £2,194, starting from AU$ 4,999), to be precise.
A tough -as-nails touchscreen
1 of the initially concerns I had for a Dell representative at the event was, "How does the touchscreen perform under wet situations ?" To make sure that rain and snow would be of no concern for folks on the field, Dell packed the Latitude 12 with a resistive touchscreen. "Resistive" suggests that the panel relies on pressure to detect your touch rather than electrostatic conduction from your bare fingers.
This indicates that the screen performs with gloves, and to great effect, as I was in a position to test the panel with covered hands in an (admittedly freezing) ice bar not too long ago. On the other hand, I also noticed that the Windows 8 Contemporary UI blurred drastically as I swiped back and forth. I'm told that this could have been a bug, and the unsightly blur will not be in sight upon release.
That mentioned, colors popped on the display, which Dell dubs a "Direct-View" panel with elevated outdoor readability, due to the fact it relies much less on backlighting. Dell says this aids the Latitude 12 claim 8 hours and 30 minutes of battery life.
Possibly too tough of a hybrid?
If you happen to be wondering how Dell got a hybrid device to perform when nonetheless meeting rugged specifications, the answer is the XPS line, believe it or not. Dell applied the very same swivel hinge technologies found in its premium leisure laptops, but upped the rigidity to match the preferred mil-spec certifications.
But probably Dell went a bit as well firm: switching among tablet and laptop modes was challenging to handle a single -handed, not to mention opening the clamshell lid in the 1st spot. This isn't a swap you happen to be going to make on the fly. And fantastic luck holding the device in a single hand and using the touchscreen with the other.
But perhaps that is the point: This appears like a laptop that you'll have to attempt to break. And that's what you ought to want from one thing you're spending tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars on for your squad.
Early verdict
The Dell Latitude 12 Rugged Extreme is an impressive machine, demonstrably prepared to take a beating &hellip and a splashing &hellip and a dusting. Plus, this new model's docking mechanisms are compatible with all earlier Rugged Extreme docks, producing deployment simpler and much more reasonably priced.
But offered difficulties like the intense blur when employing the resistive touchscreen, it appears like Dell nonetheless has a bit of work to do ahead of this ruggedized hybrid is prepared to hit the battlefield. By May well 6, when this squad- prepared laptop-tablet hybrid will launch, my bigger concern would be no matter whether the Latitude 12's weighty tablet mode will function for users in the heat of the moment. As a notebook, even so, this Latitude looks prepared for a pummeling.
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