A new beast in the jungle

As the tasks of defence and security professionals become more diverse, choosing the right mobile IT solution can be a difficult challenge. But imagine having a rugged laptop that you can easily and quickly configure in the field to meet the challenges of the day. Need a smart card reader for border control? No problem. Want to add multi-user authentication so your entire team can securely use the same device? Simple.

Sounds like fiction, but it's reality with the latest TOUGHBOOK 40 rugged laptop. Designed for use in extreme environments, the powerful new all-black model has military-grade security and communications features that support critical operations.

A special feature is the modular design, which allows the user to quickly and easily adapt the unit to different challenges by equipping it with 7 expansion zones. It is the perfect companion for outdoor use and adapts to any mission. In addition to the user-replaceable battery, RAM and SSD, the device has four additional expansion zones for smartcard and fingerprint readers. The expansion zones can also be used for a second SSD drive, DVD and Blu-ray drives and configurable ports (VGA, True Serial, USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A and a second HDMI or native GLAN).

It is primarily designed for defence and security applications, including foot and in-vehicle use, as well as vehicle diagnostics, maintenance and training. For police and border control, the device is ideal for operational services such as routing, number plate or suspect identification.

However, the device also has a wide range of applications in other industries. In the automotive and agricultural industries, it is the perfect tool for technicians performing diagnostics and repairs on trucks or large machines on the road or in the field. In the utilities sector, engineers can use the TOUGHBOOK 40 Notebook for inspections of pipelines, solar plants, power plants and maintenance programmes.

And, of course, it comes with all the special features, ergonomic design and rugged requirements that you would expect from a TOUGHBOOK device. The high brightness, Full HD touchscreen for viewing clarity at night and in the brightest sunlight. A touchscreen that auto-detects between pen, finger, gloved or wet hand and automatically switches to the most appropriate mode. A newly designed Touchpad, with two physical mouse buttons, that works with gloves and in the rain plus comes with two-finger operation for the most complex tasks in the field.

The batteries can be hot swapped for 36 hours non-interrupted operation, it has all the latest communications capabilities, including options for eSIM to switch mobile carriers without changing sims and LTE, as well as 5G options this summer.

And, of course, it’s as tough as they come. It takes rugged to another level with IP66 resistance to dust and water, meeting military standard (MIL-STD810H) for temperature, humidity and vibration and is 26-side independently drop tested from 180cm. When I think about it, it’s the chameleon of the mobile computing world with an armadillo-like hard shell. Look out rugged notebooks, there’s a new beast in the jungle!