How rugged is your notebook?

Did you know that there is a difference between rugged notebooks and ruggedized notebooks? Well, it is not just a matter of words, really. Difference between rugged laptops and ruggedized laptops is about testing and standards. It goes like this.

MIL-STD810 E MIL-STD810 F standards

MIL-STD810 E and F standardards measure how rugged your notebook is. F is actually a revision of E and if you want to now get too complicated , let's say they both do the same thing, tell you how rugged your notebook really is.

So, when buying a rugged notebook, or at least one that says is rugged, look for the results of these tests. There are 24 categories of tests that needs to be cover in order to be compliant with MIL-STD810 E/F standards. These categories are

Low Pressure (Altitude)
High Temperature
Low Temperature
Temperature Shock
Contamination by Fluids
Solar Radiation (Sunshine)
Rain Method
Humidity
Fungus
Salt Fog
Sand and Dust
Explosive Atmosphere
Immersion
Acceleration
Vibration
Acoustic Noise
Shock
Pyroshock
Acidic Atmosphere
Gunfire Vibration
Temperature, Humidity, Vibration, and Altitude
Icing/Freezing Rain
Ballistic Shock
Vibro-Acoustic/Temperature

So, in order for a notebook to be labeled as rugged, it needs to pass all the above tests. Well, on the other hand, ruggedized notebooks don't pass all the tests, but only part of them. Meaning that not all the components have been tested with these tests. Some of them may be protected more than for a regular, commercial laptop, but don't pass the tests. All the tests for MIL-STD810 E and F standardards are conducted in a natural environments or in a controlled environment. When possible, the 2 situations are mixed in order to give you a good result.