Itronix X-C 6250 Pro

Despite the general enthusiasm for notebooks, the fact is many of them are less than perfectly robust. There's no way that the standard business notebook is going to last beyond the sedate bubble of civilisation in which it was designed to function. Companies like Husky, recently bought by Itronix, set out to address the needs of more adventurous users who need a notebook in locations where the conventional office dweller is unlikely to venture. The Itronix X-C 6250 Pro is just such a device, combining basic notebook functionality with wireless comms in an ultra-tough casing.

The X-C 6250 Pro has been tested and certified to US military specs (MIL STD 810E) for water resistance - a good drenching from all angles for 40 minutes - and robustness, by dropping the same unit 54 times onto concrete from a height of 1m, onto all surfaces, with the screen open and closed. In addition to this frightening abuse, it can also cope with extremes of temperature operating between -20 and 60 degrees Celsius.

Obviously, it's aimed at engineers, firefighters, police officers, ambulance crews, the military and scientists out in the field. It's as adapted for its purpose, and as different to its office counterparts as a dive watch is compared to a Cartier dress piece. The case body and lid are magnesium alloy, wrapped in impact-softening rubber to protect all edges and corners. The result is a very chunky machine measuring 76mm thick, but the footprint is compact relative to a standard notebook to make it easier to manage in confined spaces and generally simpler to lug around.

Despite all the cladding, it weighs 3.1kg, about the same as most office portables, and it's made easier to carry than most by the addition of an unbreakable rubber carrying handle. There are also mounts for a shoulder strap/safety tether, and the rubber edge protection generally makes the casing non-slip and easy to grip.

The X-C 6250 Pro has two Type II PC Card slots, which are stacked but hidden behind a metal cover. You also get a VGA port, parallel and serial ports and a modem jack, which is apparently waterproof in its own right, since all the other connectors are covered by tough, captive rubber seals.

A floppy drive and CD-ROM are extras, which makes perfect sense, as it's likely that software is installed before you go out into the field. One or two sets of drives could well be sufficient for several notebooks.

Itronix makes a range of docking bases for the machine, most of which are lockable and designed to mount in a vehicle, which provides another way of getting additional drives out into the blue yonder if this is a requirement. When you're away from base, the integrated GSM-compatible comms gives you the usual, painfully slow 9.6Kbits/sec connection, but this is better than nothing.

The keyboard is reasonably comfortable. It's also luminous, although the effect is passive and fades after time unless the keyboard is exposed to an external light source.

The smallish, 10.4in SVGA TFT screen has an effective anti-glare treatment, but as usual, the backlight struggled in direct sunlight and the screen was barely legible unless shaded. For its intended purpose this is one area that Itronix should pay particular attention to.

Itronix has opted for an NiMH battery, which might sound a bit strange these days but makes sense when you consider that lithium ion cells stop working below zero degrees Celsius. In this case, I got about three hours' continuous use before the lights went out, which is more than acceptable.