Dismountable rugged tablet computer
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

Elbit Systems of America specializes in the design, development and production of military, industrial and commercial communications equipment, rugged military computers and rugged PDAs. Elbit Systems is a supplier of tactical handheld computers to the US Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy.

The Tacter-31D is military-grade vehicular mounted/dismounted computer. It is a rather slim (two inches), powerful tablet designed primarily for vehicle use, but that can also be detached for dismounted operations. The Tacter-31D comes with low voltage or ultra-low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo processors, up to 4GB of RAM, a solid state disk, and runs Windows XP or Red Hat Linux. The 10.4 inch touch screen offers 1024 x 768 pixel XGA resolution and it is sunlight readable with a strong 700 nits LED backlight.

As you'd expect, the Tacter-31D is built to withstand extreme environmental conditions. It has an operating temperature range of between -22 to 131 degrees Fahrenheit, can survive immersion in two feet of water, and is MIL-STD-461E tested for EMI.

As far as interfaces go, the Tacter-31D is exceptionally well equipped. There are two LAN RJ45 jacks, no fewer than five USB 2.0 ports, and three RS232 serial ports. There is a PC Card Type II slot and well as an SDIO card slot, commercial or military GPS, and either an embedded L-Band satellite communications transceiver or communication controller, or another custom module.