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Dropped, frozen and fried, 'Victum' survives

German company launches "ruggedized" military spec notebook PC that converts to a touch-screen in seconds.

Mark Rutherford
The military establishment's ever increasing reliance on technology and whiz-bang gadgetry impacts us as consumers, investors, taxpayers and ultimately as the defended. Our mission here is to bring some of these products and concepts to your attention based on carefully selected criteria such as importance to national security, originality, collateral damage to the treasury and adaptability to yard maintenance-but not necessarily in that order. E-mail him at markr@milapp.com. Disclosure.
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Mark Rutherford
Acturion Datasys

From Bavaria here's a new, "ruggedized" military-spec notebook PC with a keyboard that converts to a touch-screen, tablet PC in seconds by flipping the display 180 degrees and pressing down.

The magnesium alloy housing (4.85 pounds with battery) is completely sealed making it splash-proof, according to Acturion Datasys. (Even the integrated speaker is waterproof.) Since there are no fans, processor heat is distributed directly to the housing, which doubles as radiator.

Two models are available--the Victum-Note V10 (10.4-inch XGA display) and the Victum-Note V12 (WXGA 12.1-inch). Both come with sunlight-readable displays and work off a Intel Core Dual Processor Yonah U2500.

Options include Bluetooth, built-in 1.3MP CCD camera, GPS receiver for satellite navigation and a couple of different modems. Windows XP Pro or Windows Vista comes pre-installed. Linux should be available soon, according to the company. To qualify for military standard certification a PC must undergo temperature testing (minus-4 Fahrenheit to 131 Fahrenheit), plus withstand a 3-foot drop onto a concrete slab and continue to drive on.

Is it too late to do something about that name? Who wants to Farfegnugen a Victum around the battlefield.