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Subject: [worldcruising] Re: OceanPC computers
From: Brad Geres (bgeres@XXX.XXX)
Date: Sat Nov 04 2000 - 13:18:21 EST
Steve wrote: Any problems with OceanPC computers?
> Their laptops are supposed to be marinized but are
> they really any different from other computers?
I teach college level courses in computer assembally
and have put together systems for seven local friends
who are out cruising with them right now. At the
Annapolis show, I examined the Ocean PC laptops
carefully and quizzed their representatives. I found
the Ocean PC laptops to be *less* water resistant and
impact resistant by design than off-the-shelf
Panasonic Toughbooks CF-27's or their predecessor, the
CF-25.
Specifically, drive bays, port covers, keyboards and
track pads are not as securely sealed and gasketed.
Further, hard drives on the Ocean PC I saw are not
gel-packed leaving them open to damage from vibration
(diesel vibration?) and far less impact resistent.
Furthermore, the hinge area is much less beefy on the
Ocean PC versus the Panasonic. Both the CF-27 and the
Ocean PC have very good quality screens - glare
resistant covering on a par.
http://www.panasonic.ca/products/toughbook/index.html
Both the Ocean PC and the Panasonic Toughbook are very
expensive (not at the link above, prices are in
Canadian dollars). Because the 'new' price is so high,
what I've been recommending is a used Panasonic
Toughbook of CF-25 (1996-1998ish) vintage. These will
be Pentium 100 or Pentium 166 machines available with
between 16 and 40 MB of random access memory. Their
speed is adequate to run Cap'n Voyager and other
navigation software; benchmarking at around 16.8 by
Norton Utilities.
Cost of a P100/16/800 Toughbook is ~$350 through
http://www.pcsales.com/ - expect the four year old
battery to be stone cold dead, but I figure that's
okay since I run it off an inverter anyway. Heck... at
10% the cost of a new Ocean PC it's hard to go wrong.
I have no financial interest in the company, etc, etc.
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