A slate that can take some punishment
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

As the catchy name implies, the Sahara TufTab i310XT was designed to meet the needs of mobile enterprise users who need something a bit sturdier than your average slate computer. Sahara also felt that seamless wireless functionality was required to run the business applications such tablets are most often used for. So they set out to combine a rugged design with the full functionality of Windows XP Professional in a light, compact tablet and added the convenience of touch screen input so that mobile workers can easily input data for maximum speed and processing efficiency wherever their work takes them.

Though not a fully rugged device, its IP53 rating and shock and vibration specs mean the TufTab i310XT can handle some of the harsher conditions encountered on jobs, including protection from rain, dust, humidity, and rough rides on the backseat of a truck. TabletKiosk also highlights the 32 to 95 degree Fahrenheit operating temperature range, though that does not seem overly impressive for a product called "Sahara." Hey, it gets a lot hotter than 95 right here in California.

On the tech spec side, the Sahara TufTab i310XT runs on a 1GHz ultra low voltage Intel Celeron, comes with shock-mounted disks ranging from a 5400rpm 60GB drive to a large and speedy 160GB 7200rpm unit, and features a 12.1 in. wide angle screen with the currently popular 1280 x 800 (16:10) aspect ratio. The unit has a 4-wire analog touch screen, which means you can't run the Tabet PC Edition on it. There is 802.11 b/g wireless LAN, Bluetooth 2.0, a PCMCIA Type II slot for expansion (plus a Lexard SD card reader) and a biometric fingerprint reader for added security. You can operate the i1310XT by fingertip or with a stylus and it also has a handy on-screen keyboard, making it possible to type directly on the screen in the familiar QWERTY layout without having to use an optionally available external USB or Bluetooth keyboard.

Overall, the Sahara TufTab, which measures 12.3 x 9.25 inches, is 1.4 inches thick, and weighs under four pounds can be a convenient, and certainly handsome, tool for mobile workers. The 36 watt-hour battery lasts only 2.5 hours, though, not a lot for a mobile device.