On September 7, 2010, Getac announced the V200 rugged convertible notebook computer, which represents a more powerful, higher-end addition to the company's V100 that remains available. Most notably, the V200 is based on a 2GHz Intel Core i7-620LM processor, providing significant performance and putting the machine at the very forefront of what is available in terms of speed in fully rugged mobile computers. Also notable is the unit's exceptionally bright 1200 nits display that is available with resistive multi-touch (i.e. it can be used even with gloves on) and even with a dual mode combination of touch and electromagnetic digitizer. Also of interest is Getac's available new "LifeSupport" battery that provides hot-swapping in the field.
What does "convertible notebook" mean? It means that the display part of the Getac V200 has a special hinge that lets you rotate it and then fold it down, with the LCD screen facing up. This way you have the best of both worlds—a regular notebook when you need it, and a handy tablet computer when that is required. It adds a great deal of flexibility in the field or in vehicles where either the notebook or the tablet mode may be preferable. Below you can see the various operating modes of the Getac V200:
Despite its versatility and power, the GETAC V200 is a compact package. Its footprint of 12.4 x 8.7 inches is barely larger than a standard pad of paper. And despite its inherent ruggedness, it's under two inches thick and weighs less than six pounds.
While the V100 comes standard with a 10.4-inch XGA display with the older 4:3 aspect ratio, the V200 has a 12.1-inch "wide-format" 1280 x 800 pixel LCD that provides both more screen real estate and more pixels to work with. Getac's QuadraClear display technology uses a variety of optical coatings and measures and a very strong backlight to provide exceptional outdoor viewabilty. The 1,200 nits LED backlight is unsurpassed in the industry (a standard notebook display rarely offers more than 230 nits or so) and means the V200 display offers a pleasant, glare and reflection-free "indoor" look and feel even outside.
Also note that the V200 uses resistive multi-touch digitizer technology that allows for both single touch and dual touch operation to tap, drag, slide, zoom and rotate, as well as using shortcut gestures. And since Getac's technology is resistive, it can be used while wearing gloves. For applications that require both touch and the more precise electromagnetic digitizer, Getac offers an optional dual-input version.
As for the new Intel Core i7 processor, the 2GHz i7-620LM version in the V200 is one of Intel's "low voltage" chips that operates at a thermal design power of 25 watts (as opposed to about 17 watts for "ultra-low" voltage and from 35 watts on up for "standard" voltage versions), offering a good balance between high performance and power efficiency. The chip supports Intel's "Turbo Boost" technology, which means the processor can go as fast as 2.8GHz under certain conditions. The chip further supports Intel's vPro technology that can be used for security and remote operations purposes. In addition, the i7-620LM has integrated graphics that provide higher performance than what was available via older non-integrated Intel chipsets.
In terms of storage, the V200 comes with a shock-mounted 320GB SATA disk, with an 80GB solid state disk being optionally available. The unit comes with 2GB of speedy 1066MHz DDR3 RAM, which can be upgraded to a full 8GB. The default OS is WIndows 7, though XP Professional is available as well. Like the V100, the V200 is a well connected machine, with three USB ports (one a USB/eSATA combo), legacy RS232 support, external video, gigabit LAN, modem, as well as good expansion via PC Card + ExpressCard (or PC Card plus Smart Card) slots and a separate SD Card slot. For communication, there's 802.11a/b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth, and optional Gobi 2000 and GPS. The V200 also has a 2mp camera cleverly integrated into the top of its LCD case so that it can be rotated to face forward or backward.
The V200 has a massive 11.1 Volt, 7,800 mAH battery that in combination with the i7 processor's excellent power management features, the also much improved power management in Windows 7, and Getac's expertise in cleverly balancing performance and power draw should last a good long time. New is the available "LifeSupport" battery swapping system where you can put the machine into standby mode and then replace the depleted battery for a freshly charged one within two minutes.
The V200 with its very sturdy magnesium alloy case, protective bumper and extensive sealing qualifies as a fully rugged system. It can operate within a very wide temperature range from -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, is sealed to IP65 specifications where the "6" means it's totally dustproof and the "5" that the unit is protected against low pressure water jets from all directions. No drop and vibration specs were provided in the materials.
Security is addressed via a combination of hardware and software measures, including a finger print reader (optional), a Smart Card reader, TPM 1.2, a cable lock slot, Intel security technologies available through the new i7 chip, as well as BIOs, password and software utility settings.
Getac also prides itself on its 5-year bumper-to-bumper warranty that even covers accidental damage and damage caused by environmental exposure (see Getac Five (5) Year Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty.)
Overall, the Getac V200 represents a state-of-the-art version of the convertible notebook concept that should provide exceptional performance, very good battery life, exemplary functionality in the field via its glove-enabled touch/digitizer technologies, excellent outdoor display, very good wireless wide area connectivity via Gobi 2000's band and provider independent operation, and the kind of ruggedness required in the field.
