Rugged notebook computer

Getac Inc., a rugged mobile computing manufacturer, has rounded out its line of solutions with its new MobileForce M220.

Currently the company offers a full-featured A770 rugged notebook weighing 14.3 pounds and its W130 mini ultra-lightweight rugged device that is stripped of an optical drive and weighs 5.9 pounds.

"The new M series falls in between both of those products and it basically fuses our full-rugged products together," said Andy Ho, sales and marketing manager at Lake Forest, Calif.-based Getac Inc.

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Ho said resellers will be able to approach a broader range of customers with the new machine.

Under the hood of the M220 is Intel's 1.4 GHz Dothan LV Processor. The notebook features a versatile Bay 1 that can accommodate various optical drives such as a DVD, CDROM, and COMBO DVD/floppy or CD/floppy.

Second battery

Users looking to increase the battery life from the standard four hours of full-out computing can swap a second battery into the bay for an extra two hours of power.

Also the removable hard disk drive bay design allows users to easily remove or swap the HDD, making it ideal for multiple users to share the laptop during different shifts within a workday.

The M220 meets the IP54 standard, making it resistant to dust and water jet spray from any directions that can occur during the worst weather conditions. It also meets military standards of 810F, and IEC's extreme standards for durability and withstanding cold environments as low as -4[degrees]F to as hot as 130[degrees]F, dusty environments, moisture, and vibration.

Weighing less than nine pounds, the M220 features a bright 14.1-inch TFT XGA LCD screen with 64MB of shared RAM.

Canadian support

Last October Getac signed its first distribution agreement with TTX Canada to provide sales and service for its entire line here.

"What they offer us that is very important for the Canadian market is a service centre," Ho said. "We have it all set up now and are looking forward to a strong 2005 in the Canadian market."

"Getac customers and resellers can now just deal with us, they don't have to go elsewhere or certainly not have to go or even need to call across the border," said Gil Broude, vice-president and general manager at TTX Canada.

"They can call TTX and we will handle anything that is required."

Canadian pricing for the M220 will start from $4,995.

BY MARK RIEHL

SPECIAL TO CDN