Ruggedized tablets live in a harsh world where they may be dropped, bumped, poured on, or just shaken around every day. And that's just on a typical workday; take your Ruggedized tablet outside when travelling or in a construction zone and your chances of a mishap increase dramatically. Unless you want to see tablets as throwaway, this failure rate should be unacceptable for businesses today.
For Ruggedized tablets, the Military Standard 810G rating (also known as MIL-STD-810G) is the gold standard. It's a set of standards that the US Department of Defense uses to assess mobile computers. A 48-inch fall into two inches of plywood over concrete, temperature (high and low) ill-treatment, and humidity, altitude, and vibration resistance testing are all included in the 810G standard.
Shock-mounted major components, strengthened frames, robust skins, waterproof seals, toughened glass, soft corner bumpers, and shock-mounted major components are all features of ruggedized tablets. To put it another way, if typical consumer tablets are like sports (or budget) automobiles, rugged tablets are like tanks.
To explore what the current state of the art for rugged tablets is, I gathered three of the newest Windows-based worker-proof slates: the Mobile Demand x Tablet Flex 10, the Getac F110, and the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1. The Galaxy Tab Active, a toughened Android tablet from Samsung, was also put to the test.
In return for their toughness, ruggedized tablets are significantly larger and heavier than their consumer-oriented counterparts. For instance, the current 9.7-in. The thinnest and lightest of the three Windows systems tested here is one inch thick and weighs twice as much as the iPad Air 2, which weighs just under a pound and is a quarter of an inch thick. Although the Galaxy Tab Active is lighter than the iPad Air 2 and Samsung's own 8.4-inch Galaxy Tab S, which weighs 10.37 oz., it is still heavier than less robust tablets such as the iPad Air 2.
Covering a ruggedized tablet with a protective cover that will decrease the impact of a fall while keeping water out is another approach to get it closer to becoming indestructible. On the other hand, the combined system and pad are frequently larger and heavier than a fully ruggedized tablet. HP, for example, makes a ruggedized version of its ElitePad 1000 tablet, which weighs over 3 pounds and measures 1.3 inches thick.
Finally, protection isn't cheap: most ruggedized tablet systems are two to three times the price of non-ruggedized models.
Purchasing a consumer tablet, on the other hand, is a false economy at work, as it will almost definitely cost you more in the long term.
The ruggedized Getac F110 is the ruggedized tablet that is the largest, heaviest, and most expensive. A textured polycarbonate shell is set on a robust magnesium frame to protect the tablet. The case's edge is carved with polycarbonate and ABS plastic bumpers. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass II. The ports are covered, and there is a sealed docking connector on the bottom.
Ruggedized tablets aren't nearly as thin and light as consumer tablets, but they're close enough to be used while still being durable. The ruggedized tablets have a smooth polycarbonate plastic casing that feels strong. On the interior, its essential components are joined together to form an internal frame. A sealed docking connector with silicone tabs keeps dirt, water, and dust out of the system's ports. Soft silicone bumpers protect the screen from drops, however they fit loosely around the borders and extend 0.2 inches beyond the screen, making it difficult to use.