Notebook computers survive the bake and freeze test

By Zatni Arbi

JAKARTA (JP): There was a time when you felt as if every pair of eyes would turn to your seat the moment fellow passengers heard the distinct beep of a notebook computer being turned on. There was a time when you would hesitate to take your notebook to a conference room for fear you'd steal the show from the speakers. And there was a time when you thought notebooks were only for the privileged and overtly enthusiastic.

Times have changed: in some respects not much, but in others remarkably. Today, placing your notebook in front of you the moment a stewardess clears your meal tray is almost as natural as taking out Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking which you just bought at the airport terminal's bookstore. In meetings nowadays, you'll see notebooks scattered all over the table.

Despite the fact that notebooks are still 60 to 80 percent more expensive than their desktop counterpart, they are widespread. One of the reasons is the acceptance of "telework". Thanks to small computers, people no longer work from nine to five, and they can work anywhere -- at their dining table, on the airplane or in their hotel room. They tote their notebook around to continue working on the presentation, proposal, or what have you. No wonder Business Weekcited the number of Americans who put in over 50 hours a week has increased significantly since the 1970s, before computers took up the role of a general productivity tool.

The durability of these portable computers has progressed, too. In fact quite significantly, as evident in the seventh annual Torture Test done by PC/Computing, one of my favorite computer magazines.

In the past, you really had to tend to your notebook as if it were your sick Siamese cat. PC/Computing tests demonstrated quite a high level of abuse could be tolerated now.

What did they do to these expensive machines? They baked them, froze them, dropped them to the floor and let them share some coffee and even coke.

By subjecting notebooks to these pains, they simulated the conditions it might pass through in its lifetime. When you leave it in your parked car under the scorching Ancol sun or on the kitchen table on a cold Cibodas evening, or when it slips from your arm as you climb the stairs to your client's office, you can rest easily that your notebook will most likely survive.

In case you don't have access to the April 1999 issue of PC/Computing, here are the highlights of the tests: all of the 22 notebooks put in the torture chambers -- 18 high performance and four ultraportable models -- survived the bake and freeze tests. For the plunge test, the staff at PC/Computing's lab dropped the notebooks -- no parachute attached -- from a height of 29 inches onto a carpeted floor.

Despite some physical damage, all but four survived (meaning you could still use them). The four casualties were no longer useful because they lost their hard disks.

A nastier stunt was performed when these notebooks were dropped from the same height but with their heads first. After some rescue measures, most of them were back in operation.

The worst test was the coffee and coke spillage on the keyboard. Common sense will tell you that this will cause a fatal short circuit but amazingly, it didn't. While the keyboards became sticky and confused, the hard disks and memory chips were so well isolated that the systems actually kept working.

So who were these winners? PC/Computing's top choice was NEC Versa LX followed by Compaq Armada 1700. Other survivals included Dell Latitude CPiD300XT, Fujitsu LifeBook E350, Gateway Solo 5150LS, Toshiba Satellite 4020CDT and Twinhead Slimnote GX. All the four ultraportables -- Toshiba Portege 3015CT, Gateway Solo 3100LS, NEC Versa SX and Sony VAIO PCG-505F -- survived the tests.

Recently, at Compaq's Journalist Workshop in serene Selabintana, Sukabumi, Martin Wibisono, Compaq's IT product manager for Indonesia, boasted that his Armada 1700 notebook would survive a drop from its current position on his desk.

"Shall we try it?" I jokingly challenged him. We didn't but the results reported by PC/Computing did support Martin's claim. Not only did the Armada survive the drop test, but it was also recommended for its more attractive price to the NEC Versa LX.

If you think you need a computer that will survive more gruesome abuses, perhaps you should consider Panasonic's ToughBook Series. The first time I saw the armored notebook was when I toured inside the CeBIT exhibition halls in Hannover in 1997. It was really tough and it felt like you could use it as a jack stand for changing your car's flat tire. Their latest version is ToughBook 71 (US$3,329).

With better shock-mounting technologies and sturdier magnesium alloy for the casing, notebook makers will continue to improve the durability of these small wonder tools. If you're still stuck with your old but faithful Pentium 133 like me and my SCENIC Mobile 300, however, here are some things you could do to extend its life. First, never put a notebook against any hard object in the same traveling case. Even a ballpoint pen can cause damage to your polycarbonate casing.

Second, if your notebook has a flap at the back to cover the ports, don't forget to close it properly before placing it inside the bag. I forgot, and that broke the hinge.

Third, never leave the notebook unattended in a room without secured access. In the U.S. alone, sales of stolen PCs created a US$2 billion dollar market, which is comprised mostly of notebooks. A Kensington Microsaver Security Cable (US$44.99) is a must, and it is available at Changi airport in Singapore where I bought mine two years ago.

The cable is used to strap the notebook to the table or any immovable object nearby. Although it's not invincible, thieves will think twice when they see the 1.8m galvanized steel cable. As MicroSaver has become a de facto industry standard and most notebooks have the appropriate slot for its locking device. Get one for your notebook.