2007-07-06 Toughbooks

The two smaller notebooks on the upper picture in my previous post are Panasonic Toughbooks. They were on my desk for two days because I modified some of the software that runs on it (a C++ backend and a Java frontend that communicate via soap, if you really want to know). While the modification was rather plain, I totally fell in love with the Toughbook itself. The keys are so small that they are barely usable, but you don't really need them anyway. Why use a keyboard when there's a touchscreen at hand? I tested the battery in a real-life simulation of how windows is meant to be used and I must say: Solitaire comes in handy on a touchscreen!
Also, there's a GPS receiver, a turnable screen, a splash guard on every single opening (power supply, USB, LAN, ...) and best of all, it's really robust. They don't mind being dropped from a height of 36 inches (>90 cm) and they operate from 20 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (-6 to 60 °C). You can take them to war if you want. To be honest, I believe that's exactly what they were designed for.

What is it with humans that some of the greatest inventions are spawns of the desire to kill each other? Think of differential equations for example. They keep satellites in orbit, simulate predator-prey relationships and even help to understand the propagation of viruses. But they were invented to predict the trajectory of bullets. Humans are hard to understand sometimes.

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Thomas showed me this today. It takes a while to get used to and I don't think it will stand a chance in the real world. But it's a nice idea and it doesn't hurt to try it.