Itronix GoBook III

Itronix bills its GoBook III as the world's fastest wireless rugged notebook, but leaving it at that would be selling this system short. This is a top-of-the-line laptop that is not only virtually bulletproof but can connect to any wireless network you can think of. And with GPS built in, you'll be able to navigate your way to the next job site with ease.

Rather than take a clean-sheet approach to rugged mobility, the GoBook III is an augmentation of the GoBook II design. It has passed the stringent Military Standard 810F tests for ruggedness and durability, which includes repeated drops, water spills, and attempts to shake it apart. Clad in a gray and graphite magnesium case with its unique removable "bat hook" handle, this is one tough customer that compares favorably to Panasonic's ToughBook CF29.

It's not for the weak of heart (or arm, for that matter) because it weighs a muscular 9.4 pounds, and with its awkward three-prong AC adapter, it tips the scales at 10.1 pounds. The GoBook III is easily the size of two thin-and-light systems on top of each other, and that doesn't include the annoying bulge in the cover that adds half an inch. Underneath is the optional $375 SiRF global positioning system (GPS) radio, which has 12 independent channels and a high-gain helical antenna, so you can figure out where you are, even indoors.

Inside is an up-to-date notebook-and a big improvement over the Pentium 4-powered GoBook II-with a 1.8-GHz Pentium M processor and 2GB of RAM. There's also a shock-mounted 80GB hard drive, which has a heater to keep the computer from freezing (literally) in Arctic conditions. The computer's ATI Mobility Radeon 9000 graphics are displayed on its 12.1-inch touchscreen; a handy stylus snaps onto the side of the case lid. A DVD/CD-ROM drive rounds out the basic hardware.

Thoughtful touches abound, like the glow-in-the-dark keyboard, a stealth startup mode without any beeps or lights, and the ability to keep the cooling fan turned off. A lighted keyboard adds $249 to the price. To keep dust, dirt and moisture out, all the openings have either rubber covers or padded doors. In addition to FireWire, the GoBook has PS/2, serial, audio and external monitor ports, but only one USB port; a smart card reader is optional.

Communications is top-shelf with a V.92 modem, 100-Mbps LAN, as well as Intel PRO/Wireless 2200bg Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios. The machine can be equipped with cards for 1xRTT CDMA or GPRS/EDGE networks, making the GoBook III a connect-anywhere notebook.

The GoBook III proves that ruggedness no longer comes with inferior performance. It all adds up to a machine that delivers a MobileMark 2002 score of 173, which is very much in line with other 1.8-GHz Pentium M systems. (It's 19 percent faster than the competing ToughBook 29 that we reviewed back in April 2004, which at the time featured a 1.2-GHz processor.) Its battery pack ran for 4 hours and 28 minutes, which is good, although the ToughBook lasts nearly 7 hours.

As with all of its rugged machines, Itronix packs a lot of software into the GoBook III, including a battery indicator that lets you know how much juice is left, digital maps for the GPS receiver, and the Mobile Center, which acts as a clearinghouse for the many and varied ways the system can get online. As is common for rugged laptops, the GoBook III comes with a 3-year warranty, but costs a pretty penny: $4,495. But, if you need the best performance available in a rugged system, you can't go wrong with this super notebook.