Originally posted on June 22, 2011 @ 10:08 am
Well I don’t really think that defense contractor General Dynamics-Itronix was thinking of klutzes when they designed their newest laptop, but the end result will serve klutzes very well. General GD-Itronix recently unveiled the GD8200, which is supposed to be only the first of a line of rugged laptops. To all the other “rugged laptop” makers, it seems GD-Itronix is saying “move over!”
Being a defense contractor, GD-Itronix obviously had law enforcement people in mind when the idea for the laptop was conceived. Think of the military types. Think of the jumping out of planes kind of people. Think police officers who need a laptop on the field. Naturally, the last thing these people would worry about in the face of an emergency is making sure not to drop or jar the laptop. And that’s where the GD8200 comes into the picture.
This laptop has undergone so many tests that the average human being would not be able to withstand. It is meant to function under extreme conditions and can even be used after repeated “falls” on concrete floors. I can’t seem to find information on exactly what kind of material they used for the casing, but whatever it is, I sure wish that Apple would start making laptops using the same material! ;)
Specs-wise, the GD8200 is not unimpressive. It has a second generation Intel Core i7-2655LE dual-core processor which runs at 2.0GHz. This can go as high as 2.9GHz, though, thanks for Intel’s Turbo Boost 2.0 technology. The base model comes with 2GB of RAM, upgradable up to 8GB.
As for the data storage, the GD8200 has all the possible options – from the usual hard disk drives (500GB or 750 GB) to solid state drives (120GB or 256GB) to hybrid drives (500GB). And it doesn’t stop there. This laptop is not only rugged, but it has a touchscreen as well! The screen will work whether you use your finger (with or without gloves! Of course, spies have to use gloves!) or a stylus.
Next month, the GD8200 will be available for only $4,460 – base model. Now if only it weren’t such an eyesore!