Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Storage

LaCie launched the original LaCinema media drive back in January, and the company is now extending the line of media-playback drives with the LaCinema Rugged. Built in a tasteful black version of the same rubber-coated chassis as LaCie’s standard rugged drives, the new unit comes in capacities up to 500GB and features 1080i HDMI output of a variety of codecs, including XviD. The LaCinema remote appears to be redesigned, and the menu system is apparently graphical and pretty, which is always nice. Not a bad way to do playback on the go, we suppose — now if LaCie would just bring the £219 ($357) drive to the States, we’d be all set.

[Via Pocket-lint]

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Filed under: GPS

Hmm, maybe Jeep should stick to scaling mountains and whatnot. To be totally frank, we had all but forgotten that a Jeep-branded navigator was even in the works, let alone closing in on release — of course, maybe that’s because we last heard of this thing in December of 2007. At any rate, the ruggedized RT-300 has finally found its way to the review bench, and unfortunately for those holding out for this critter, it didn’t fare too well. At all. For starters, $249.99 is a lot of scratch for a lowly 320 x 240 resolution screen, and the fact that it’s not even waterproof didn’t help matters either. Worst of all, testers had issues with route calculation (read: its main function), with a certain Cincy-to-Jersey query causing a total freeze three times in a row (and even on a second unit). Bottom line? Steer clear of this one, hard though that may be for the Jeep faithful.

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

HP’s exceptionally fresh EliteBook 2730p tablet was recently reviewed by the notebook mavens over at GottaBeMobile, and right out of the gate, they delivered the line that tells all: “The HP 2730p EliteBook tablet is more than worthy of your consideration as your next or your first tablet PC.” So, what did this thing do right in order to garner such a recommendation? Let’s see — overly satisfactory performance, an excellent design, smile-worthy battery life (4-hours in normal use on a single 6-cell), and perfectly implemented inking / tablet features. Granted, not everything was rosy, as the WXGA (1,280 x 800) screen left a little to be desired and the keyboard layout was similarly scolded. Overall, the unit still performed well enough to make it into their short list, but it sounds like you may want to try one in person before buying blind.

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Filed under: Storage

Progress is beautiful, is it not? Just shy of two years ago, Corsair blew minds with its ruggedized 16GB Flash Voyager, built to withstand all but the nastiest of drops and hold oodles of quarterly reports for a mere $299. Earlier this year, we saw the capacity double up and the price fall to just $229. Now, the bootable drive has been bloated further with a full 64GB of space, only this one’s available right now for just a buck ninety-nine. Dollars to donuts we’ll see a 128GB version in under 12 months for around $150, but don’t let that sway your purchasing decision or anything.

Read - Corsair release
Read - On sale for $199.99

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Filed under: Cellphones

It’s still a rugged little bastard — and yes, it still has a laser pointer — but there’s one thing the LM801 cellphone is not: a Sonim. The CEO of Sonim, maker of the purposefully overbuilt XP1, wrote in on our LM801 piece to let us know that they don’t actually have any association with Condurro, the company advertising it. If anything, the LM801 is actually a direct competitor for Sonim’s wares — and at £149.99 (about $270) at retail, it’s bringing the heat. Assuming it actually lives up to its tough look, anyway.

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Filed under: Laptops

Merely weeks after Dell offered its long-awaited Latitude E6400 ATG up for sale, one of said units has been procured, unboxed and briefly tested by the laptop lovers over at NotebookReview. Initial impressions are that it’s quite heavy (expected for a tough cookie such as this), built Ford tough and made to be used in broad daylight. The keyboard showed slight flex and a somewhat disheartening layout, though the touchpad was “very smooth” and the buttons had “excellent action.” We won’t spoil the first batch of benchmark results for you, so you’ll have to wander on down to the read link for that and a handful of other pics.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Sonim has chosen IFA this week to show off its latest hardcore G’zOne killer, the in-your-face, take-no-prisoners LM801 candybar. Highlights of the rugged set include an integrated flashlight, laser pointer (for those times when you’re stranded in the Rockies and you need to blind you some bears, we figure), magnetic compass, barometer / altimeter, FM radio, and thermometer, all bundled neatly into a yellow shell that repels all the water and dust you can toss at it. Most carriers aren’t terribly talented at offering a rugged lineup, so we can think of a few who’d be well-served to investigate adding something like this into the mix — and seriously, what’s with no other phone having a laser pointer?

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Filed under: Tablet PCs

Xplore Technologies isn’t exactly the most prolific purveyor of rugged computers, but it looks like it’s finally managed to churn out a follow-up to its circa-2006 iX104C3 tablet PC, with its new and slightly improved iX104C4 now making its official debut. This one retains the same 10.4-inch form factor of its predecessor, but gets a 50% brighter Dual Mode AllVue Xtreme display (still XGA), along with a 1.2GHz Intel Core Duo processor, 1GB of RAM, a 120GB hard drive, and all the usual wLAN, wWAN, Bluetooth and GPS options. As has been the case with Xplore in the past, there’s no word on a price but, then again, most of the folks that wind up using these in the field won’t exactly be paying for them out of their own pocket.

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Filed under: Laptops, Tablet PCs

Continue reading HP’s rugged EliteBook 2730p tablet and 2530p laptop for suits and Gobi squares

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Filed under: Laptops

Though we expected Dell’s ruggedized Latitude E6400 ATG to have already launched by now, we suppose late is superior to never. As of this very moment, said laptop is available to order from the outfit’s Small & Medium Business division, and the baseline machine comes with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, Vista Home Basic, a 3-year warranty, 14.1-inch WXGA LED-backlit (and outdoor viewable, too) display, Intel’s GMA 4500MHD graphics, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 80GB 5,400RPM hard drive, 802.11b/g and a built-in combo drive. The machine we just described can be ordered up for $2,399, but those with a higher spending limit can opt for integrated WWAN, a 64GB SSD, a respectable amount of memory and a 2.8GHz T9600 processor. Sadly, the estimated ship date is September 29th, but you can feel free to get in line before that figure slips well into Q4.

[Thanks, Anthony]

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Filed under: Laptops

Though we expected Dell’s ruggedized Latitude E6400 ATG to have already launched by now, we suppose late is superior to never. As of this very moment, said laptop is available to order from the outfit’s Small & Medium Business division, and the baseline machine comes with a 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, Vista Home Basic, a 3-year warranty, 14.1-inch WXGA LED-backlit (and outdoor viewable, too) display, Intel’s GMA 4500MHD graphics, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, an 80GB 5,400RPM hard drive, 802.11b/g and a built-in combo drive. The machine we just described can be ordered up for $2,399, but those with a higher spending limit can opt for integrated WWAN, a 64GB SSD, a respectable amount of memory and a 2.8GHz T9600 processor. Sadly, the estimated ship date is September 29th, but you can feel free to get in line before that figure slips well into Q4.

[Thanks, Anthony]

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Filed under: Wearables

Automatic movement? Sweeping hands? Pish posh. Casio’s looking to impress a few watch aficionados itself with the all new Tough Movement. Designed to slip inside its Oceanus and G-Shock series of timepieces, the new movement “features a high shock resistance and a hand position correction function using LED.” During the 55th minute of each hour, the movement receives time calibration signals from six bases located throughout the world; if the hands are off at all, it automatically corrects things to ensure that you’re never a moment off. Reportedly, the first wristwatch to utilize the technology will be the GS-1200, which is currently slated to hit Japan this September for a stiff ¥42,000 ($390).

[Via OhGizmo]

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Filed under: GPS

Sure, Garmin’s new nüvi 500 series can get you from point A to point G on paved and well-lit highways, but that’s not the (whole) point here. Instead, these rugged (and waterproof) navigators are geared up to take to the trails, waterways and sidewalks with one-touch transitions between driving, bicycling, boating and walking modes. The 500 includes road maps and topographic maps for the lower 48 US states, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, while the 550 touts comprehensive street map coverage of the US and Canada. Both devices boast a 3.5-inch touchscreen, a removable, rechargeable battery, Garmin’s “Where Am I?” feature and geocaching support to boot. As for USers, you’ll find the 500 and 550 on sale in Q3 for $499.99, while those across the pond will see the nüvi 550 land this September for £299.

[Via GPSTracklog, thanks Rich]

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Filed under: GPS

Believe it or not, the Berlin-based IFA trade show is nearly upon us, and Becker is more than prepared. Reportedly, the Z100 Crocodile will be making the journey, complete with a 4.3-inch display, an SD card slot, European NAVTEQ maps, a SiRFstarIII GPS receiver and RDS-TMC support. Furthermore, the unit will sport an ultra-rugged exterior meant to handle nearly any jungle excursion you set out on. Expect to hear more (a price and release date would be just fine, Becker) when IFA commences late next month.

[Via NaviGadget]

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Filed under: Laptops

Check it L.E.S hipsters, a laptop that can withstand the stresses of sporting an ironic mustache and deep v-neck Tee around town. The magnesium alloy B51E features ruggedized touches like rubber (baby buggy) bumpers along the edges and a protective film to ward off scratches on the chassis and display. It also features a keyboard with integrated drainage path and hard drive “floated on a sponge protection system” capable of withstanding mojito spills of up to 120 cc / 4 ounces and tabletop drops from 75 cm / 2.5 feet. Oddly, the screen dimensions are not mentioned though the laptop is 14.37-inch wide and tops-out with a Core 2 Duo T8300 proc, up to 4GB of memory, Intel GMA X3100 graphics, up to 320GB disk, and integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam. Now lean in and start maliciously rubbing your hands together — we’ve got the abuse video after the break.

[Via I4U]

Continue reading Video: ASUS’ rugged B51E — tougher than a hipster yuppie

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV

Oh sure, waterproof LCD TVs have been available for ages, but Sanyo’s making the choice of which outdoor display to buy simple with the introduction of its CE52SR1. You see, unlike many alternatives, this waterproof set packs a 1080p Full HD panel, meaning that you can enjoy your Blu-ray films in full-res glory while slouched in a beach chair beside your pool. Furthermore, the display is daylight readable and features a 1,500:1 contrast ratio, 1,500 cd/m2 brightness, 6.5-millisecond response time, 176-degree viewing angles, a slew of inputs and a frame constructed from marine grade anodized aluminum. Unfortunately, the summer in America will be long over before you can actually drop $13,995 in order to claim one, but October isn’t too far out, now is it?

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Filed under: Ask Engadget, Storage

Yeah, we’ve let you folks toss out suggestions for a similar question back when a 1TB internal HDD was nothing more than a pipe dream, but it’s about time we gave this one an update, don’t you agree? Hear Ian out:

“I was wondering which portable hard drive was good enough to stand up to the life of a student. Something that can take a few bumps and not be harmed. It doesn’t have to be huge in capacity, but I need one larger than 80GB. I’d obviously like FireWire and USB 2.0 if possible, but I’m not trying to spend a fortune here either.”

Had any particularly good / bad experiences with battle-tested portable HDDs? We want to hear ‘em all, so don’t be shy, alright? To get your question up in the lights, send us a note at ask at engadget dawt com — just don’t forget to include the secret password.

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Filed under: Storage

For small and medium sized businesses, data redundancy is more than a novel concept, it’s unquestionably critical. Unfortunately, tight budgets don’t always allow for pricey off-site storage or fire / waterproof server rooms, which is where ioSafe comes in. Said outfit has just announced the ioSafe 3.5 series, which is hailed as the “industry’s first internal hard drive with disaster protection.” Put simply, the company has stuffed a 2.5-inch HDD into a 3.5-inch chassis, and it used the extra room to insert matter that protects platters from fire (up to 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit) and flood (full immersion in fresh or salt water). The family will include the Pilot line ($329 to $449) — which arrives in 80/160/250/320GB sizes with an 8MB buffer, SATA I interface and 5400RPM rotational speed — and the Squadron line ($359 to $459), which includes 7200RPM 80/160/200GB versions with a SATA II interface. Both lots have already started to ship.

[Via TGDaily]

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Filed under: Peripherals

iKey’s done this whole rugged keyboard thing a time or two before, so when it builds one meant to operate like a champ around environments laden with grease, you know it means business. The new line of Membrane keyboards — which arrives in a trio of flavors — boasts a stainless steel enclosure, or customers looking to integrate can snag the OEM edition and do as they please. The board possesses a “hard-coated, textured, polyester film that is more rugged than industrial silicone rubber keypads,” and it’s designed to withstand “directed hose water, disinfectants and environmental contaminants.” Seems as though you’ll have to phone up iKey to find out what this Apocalypse-approved device will run you, but it should get along quite well with that impenetrable Iron Drive of yours.

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

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Filed under: Storage

LaCie’s bright orange Rugged Hard Disk hasn’t changed much externally since it surfaced over two years ago, but what used to buy you 160GB will now land you a full half-terabyte with dough left over for several In-N-Out runs. The latest Rugged drive packs Hitachi’s 500GB Travelstar 5K500 and still maintains the scratch-resistant aluminum shell and shock-resistant rubber bumper. As for ports, you’ll find a USB 2.0-only edition or a more versatile iteration that includes USB 2.0, FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 sockets. Either flavor comes bundled with the company’s Setup Assistant and backup software, and if you’re tired of waiting for 1TB in your pocket, you can make do with this one for just $299.99 / $399.99 depending on your choice of interface(s).

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