help choosing a toughbook
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 6:36 am
please forgive my computer ignorance, but i have a few questions before i purchase a toughbook.
i'm looking to get a used CF-28 because it seems like there's a lot of decent deals to be found on them. i'm just confused on the options. there appear to be a bunch of different option levels for these. let me tell you what i want to do with it and you tell me what i need (or don't need) to get. i see some listed with processor speeds ranging from 800MHz to 1GHz, and HD sized from 20-30Gigs. none of that seems like a deal-breaker to me.
HERE'S WHAT I'M DOING:
1) it's going to be vehicle mounted and configured to wake/hibernate on ignition sense.
2) it's going to be running a GPS with an EXTERNAL active GPS antenna from a USB port.
3) eventually, it's going to be on a wireless network (private 802.11 WLAN) with an EXTERNAL antenna.
4) after that, it's going to be getting an aircard for wireless internet (Cingular or Verizon) with an EXTERNAL antenna.
MUST HAVES:
first off, i want a touch-screen. preferably the larger 13" one. not sure what applications support the use of it, but want it just in case.
same goes for the rubberized backlit keyboard. i want it just because.
CD/DVD combo drive. floppy is useless to me.
NOT SURE ON THE REST:
not sure if the 13" screen is brighter than the 12" screen. i need to make sure i get an outdoor readable display. are they all 500 nits or did they have different options?
not sure if i need to use a port replicator or if i should just mount it to a plain 'ol tray. i'm not going to be removing it regularly. it's going to be considered a permanent install.
i see laptops and port replicator that mention "pass through antenna ports" and "dual-band pass through antenna ports" and some that say they don't have this option. dunno if i need this or not for what i'm doing.
do i need to get a "wireless enabled" toughbook or can i just get my own wifi card and pop it in? this may be going back to the pass through antenna port question. i guess it's ok if my wifi and aircard are in the pc slots as long as they can both have external antenna jacks on them and not interfere with anything. is that possible?
sorry for the large list of questions, i just wanna make sure i get the right one. used prices are between $600-$1000 without the keyboard and combo drive upgrades. maybe another $300-$400 for the upgrades. i wanna make an educated decision with that kinda cash.
thanks
i'm looking to get a used CF-28 because it seems like there's a lot of decent deals to be found on them. i'm just confused on the options. there appear to be a bunch of different option levels for these. let me tell you what i want to do with it and you tell me what i need (or don't need) to get. i see some listed with processor speeds ranging from 800MHz to 1GHz, and HD sized from 20-30Gigs. none of that seems like a deal-breaker to me.
HERE'S WHAT I'M DOING:
1) it's going to be vehicle mounted and configured to wake/hibernate on ignition sense.
2) it's going to be running a GPS with an EXTERNAL active GPS antenna from a USB port.
3) eventually, it's going to be on a wireless network (private 802.11 WLAN) with an EXTERNAL antenna.
4) after that, it's going to be getting an aircard for wireless internet (Cingular or Verizon) with an EXTERNAL antenna.
MUST HAVES:
first off, i want a touch-screen. preferably the larger 13" one. not sure what applications support the use of it, but want it just in case.
same goes for the rubberized backlit keyboard. i want it just because.
CD/DVD combo drive. floppy is useless to me.
NOT SURE ON THE REST:
not sure if the 13" screen is brighter than the 12" screen. i need to make sure i get an outdoor readable display. are they all 500 nits or did they have different options?
not sure if i need to use a port replicator or if i should just mount it to a plain 'ol tray. i'm not going to be removing it regularly. it's going to be considered a permanent install.
i see laptops and port replicator that mention "pass through antenna ports" and "dual-band pass through antenna ports" and some that say they don't have this option. dunno if i need this or not for what i'm doing.
do i need to get a "wireless enabled" toughbook or can i just get my own wifi card and pop it in? this may be going back to the pass through antenna port question. i guess it's ok if my wifi and aircard are in the pc slots as long as they can both have external antenna jacks on them and not interfere with anything. is that possible?
sorry for the large list of questions, i just wanna make sure i get the right one. used prices are between $600-$1000 without the keyboard and combo drive upgrades. maybe another $300-$400 for the upgrades. i wanna make an educated decision with that kinda cash.
thanks