Laptops for Klutzes Makers Tout Models Designed To Be Spill- and Drop-Proof; Passing the Sandstorm Test
By CHRISTOPHER LAWTON Wall Street Journal May 9, 2006; Page D1 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114713244960147243.html?mod=technology_featured_stories_hs Michele Meek spilled a glass of water on the keyboard of her Dell Latitude D600 laptop the other day, causing it to shut off. She asked Dell Inc. if it could be fixed under her warranty. Dell said that her computer was covered for certain problems -- but not for liquid spills. As the price of laptops falls, and more people tote them everywhere from the coffeeshop to the beach, keyboard spills and other mishaps are happening more frequently. A beverage perched perilously near a laptop has become a common sight on airplanes and in Internet cafes around the country. The list of other accidents includes everything from dropped laptops and electrical surges to computers being crushed beneath a car. As a result, some personal computer makers are pushing "semi-rugged" computers that are meant to be drop-proof and spill-proof. While similar durable notebooks have been sold for years to workers in fields such as law enforcement, PC makers including Lenovo Group Ltd. and Panasonic Corp. of North America are now adding durability features for executives and consumers. Despite all the potential damage, semi-rugged laptops aren't for everyone. Such notebooks typically cost more and are heavier than an average laptop. In September, Lenovo, which acquired International Business Machine Corp.'s laptop business last year, launched its ThinkPad Z60 notebook, in part to address clumsy consumers. At $799, the Z60 has a feature dubbed the "Active Protection System." Using a device similar to the one that deploys air bags in cars, the feature automatically detects when a notebook is falling and instantly secures the hard drive. It also features a "roll cage," or stiff magnesium frame inside the laptop. Fujitsu Computer Systems Corp., the U.S. unit of Japan's Fujitsu Ltd., introduced three new business notebooks this year with spill-resistant keyboards and a specially mounted hard drive that resists shock and vibration. Dubbed LifeBooks, the machines are priced starting at $1,249. The U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Toshiba Corp. also launched last month its Protege M405, a convertible tablet PC for $1,699 with a spill-resistant keyboard and which can secure the hard drive if the computer is dropped. And Dell last year also outfitted its Latitude notebook PCs with spill-proof keyboards. (That was too late for Ms. Meek, who bought her computer two years ago.) Meanwhile, Panasonic launched its Toughbook CF-74 notebook in April. The Toughbook, for $2,999, has a spill-resistant keyboard, magnesium alloy case and a handle making it easier to casually carry around. "Over the last couple of years, more companies are demanding more reliability and protection from their notebooks," says Rance Poehler, president of Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., a unit of Panasonic. Overall, the market for semi-rugged notebooks is growing, though it remains a small portion of the larger laptop market. The world-wide semi-rugged notebook market reached roughly $562.4 million in revenue with more than 225,000 machines shipped in 2004, the most-recent year for which data were available from Venture Development Corp., a technology research firm in Natick, Mass. That compares with the 48.9 million notebooks shipped world-wide in 2004, according to research firm IDC. By 2009, VDC predicts the semi-rugged market will reach $878.1 million. A Toughbook would have saved Terry King from ruining this wife's laptop. In December, Mr. King noticed that the screen on his wife's IBM ThinkPad was dusty. But while trying to wipe the screen, he inadvertently dumped about a half cup of cleaning fluid on the keyboard of the ThinkPad. Mr. King, a 66-year-old former IBM engineer, and his wife live in Carthage, Tunisia, ruling out a quick trip to a repair shop. So Mr. King turned the machine upside down to drain the liquid and removed the keyboard using a manual he downloaded from the Internet. Even after the computer had dried out, however, it wouldn't power up. Mr. King, an avid tinkerer, refused to give up. When he next visited the U.S., he bought a used laptop keyboard online and tried to make that work, to no avail. "That's when we called IBM [ThinkPad]," says Mr. King. It took another week and $450 before the notebook was fixed. Spills aren't the only concern for laptop owners, of course. According to IDC, liquid spills ranked second on the list of potential causes of damage, below dropped notebooks. The 2005 study, which was sponsored by Panasonic, traced the percentage of respondents who reported problems. It found that more than 60% of respondents reported dropping their computer, versus more than 50% of respondents who reported spills on their computers. Other frequent causes of spoilage included electrical surges and dust damage. Laptops with durability features are generally more expensive than other models. While many semi-rugged notebooks start at more than $1,200, the average cost of a notebook PC in this year's first quarter was $984, according to research firm Current Analysis. PC makers, meanwhile, are getting better at incorporating durability features into mobile computers, says David Krebs, director of the mobile and wireless practice for VDC. To develop their rugged notebooks, Lenovo and Panasonic subjected machines to a series of tests. Lenovo engineers held the computer by the corner and waved it wildly. They also staged a common mishap, when people trip over the power cord and send the laptop tumbling to the ground, to figure out how the equipment drops. Panasonic workers tested machines by subjecting them to extreme temperatures, a simulated sandstorm and a water spray. While not as damaging as a water gun, the glass of water spilled on Ms. Meek's Dell laptop was ultimately too much for it to handle. Rather than pay to get it replaced, Ms. Meek says she plans to get a new Dell laptop, and buy a warranty to cover accidental damage. "With a laptop there's just so many things that can go wrong with it," she says. "It would be better if it was more resilient to accidental damage." ================================ George Antunes, Political Science Dept University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204 Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927 antunes at uh dot edu Reply with a "Thank you" if you liked this post. _____________________________ MEDIANEWS mailing list medianews@twiar.org To unsubscribe send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
