Once upon a time there was the WalkAbout Hammerhead, a super-rugged pen computer going back to the early 1990s. The concept — essentially a tablet milled from a solid block of metal — was so good that it really didn't need change at all, except for updating electronics every once in a while. Eventually, WalkAbout became part of DRS Technologies and is now known as DRS Tactical. With parent DRS being a major supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide, this opened up a lot of new opportunities.
In February of 2008, DRS Tactical announced ARMOR, a line of rugged mobile computers with an emphasis on data protection technology, anywhere connectivity and sunlight readable display options for industrial and government customers. Th initial products of the ARMOR line include the X10 Tablet PC shown here and the C12 convertible notebook.
Those familiar with rugged computing technology will easily recognize the ARMOR X10's as the latest in a long evolutionary chain of Hammerhead tablets. In fact, by our count, the X10 is a member of the 9th generation of what began in the early 1990s as a revolutionary, no-nonsense design concept for an ultra-rugged and nearly invulnerable mobile tablet computer.
What is not immediately clear is if the 9th generation ARMOR X10 replaces the Hammerhead Xtreme that is still listed on the DRS Tactial website. RuggedPCReview.com did a comprehensive review of the Hammerhead Xtreme and found it as competent and purposeful as ever, but under the hood (or rather inside its case milled from aircraft-grade aluminum) it was no longer quite up to date. The X10 takes care of that with a processor upgrade to the ulra-low voltage 1.2GHz Intel Core Duo U2500. Maximum RAM has gone up to 2GB, available hard disks are up to 80GB, and a 8 or 16GB solid state disk is an option. Those are the major electronic enhancements.
In the battery department, the X10 stays with the innovative dual-battery solution that has long been a signature design feature of the Hammerhead platform. As shown above, the two batteries are easily accessible from the outside, and a bright yellow thumbwheel keeps both from being removed at the same time. A clever solution. The drawback is that you really do need both batteries as they are fairly small. The capacity of the ones used in the X10 is up to 24.4 wh each (from 20 wh in older machines).
The ARMOR X10 breaks with time-honored Hammerhead tradition in that it offers an externally accessible USB port. Earlier models really did look as if they were milled from a solid block of metal with virtually all connectivity through an external dock whereas the latest platform makes some concessions to easy access. This probably makes sense as readily available USB ports have become almost mandatory, but we did notice that, despite trademarked "ShutOut" technology, IP67 sealing, which was optionally available on the Xtreme, is no longer listed. IP66 means the unit is impervious to dust and water spray from all directions, but it's no longer certified to survive immersion in water. Overall ruggedness remains impressive with the X10 able to survive 4-foot drops, operate in -4 to 140 degree temperatures and passing a large variety of military and other standards.
Screwed-on protective covers have increased overal exterior dimensions some so that volume is up by 23% even though the unit's weight is nearly unchanged at a very handy 5.2 pounds. The 10.4-inch XGA display is available both with a touch screen and an electromagnetic digitizer.
Two Type II PC Card slots (or one Type II card) can be used for expansion and the X10 also offers a "FlexSpace" OEM socket that can accommodate a variety of options. The X10 comes with integrated 802.11a/b/g WiFi and Bluetooth. The X10 is also backward compatible with any Hammerhead port replicator and desk, vehicle and wall dock ever made.
Despite the name change from the original WalkAbout Hammerhead to the current DRS ARMOR, this remains one of the best and most focused rugged tablets on the market.
