Scouting out durability
If you locate a laptop that looks and feels sturdy, has a special hard-drive-
protection system and sports a good set of latches, you may have found a
laptop suitable for traveling the road with you.
I'm asking you to trust your instincts here. If the lid and the case look flimsy
to you, then chances are that the machine isn't the best choice for travel in a
truck or RV. If the outside looks wimpy, you've really got to wonder how
tough the inside is.
Take the time to check out your purchases for features that scream durability.
The following list gives you a couple of specifics to look for:
Hard-drive protection systems: Manufacturers offer different types of
systems designed to protect a laptop's hard drive. Active systems such
as IBM's APS (Active Protection System) and Toshiba's EasyGuard focus
primarily on safeguarding machines that are dropped, bumped, or expe-
rience excessive vibration while in use. Dell's StrikeZone is a passive
system, which surrounds the drive bay with rubber shock absorbers in
an attempt to protect the hard drive from bumps and bruises when the
laptop is in use or in transit. Check out Table 3-1 for a rundown of some
models and their spin on hard-drive protection.
LCD screen protection: The main protection for the fragile LCD screen is
the laptop lid. I sometimes have to dig my laptop out from under a pile
of junk before using it, so its sturdy case and well-designed lid serve to
protect the fragile (did I mention it's fragile?) LCD screen. When you're
shopping for a new laptop, look closely at the construction and quality
of the lid and latches. For example, one nice feature of IBM ThinkPad lids
is the double latch; with a latch near each corner, the lid can't be bent at
the corners when it's closed, and the display screen can't be distorted.
You can see that the lid has a direct impact on how well the LCD screen
is protected; better protection helps ensure screen longevity.
Table 3-1
Laptop Models with Hard-Drive Protection Systems
Manufacturer /
Protection
What It Does
Model
System
IBM / ThinkPad
Active Protection
Uses motion sensing to detect rapid
System (APS)
acceleration that occurs in a fall; tem-
porarily parks the hard-drive head until
the system is stabilized.
Part I: The Wonderful World of Wireless Fidelity
Page 34
