A massively ruggedized Dell Latitude notebook
(by Conrad H. Blickenstorfer)

Augmentix, founded in 2003 and initially a privately held company headquartered in Austin, Texas, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of memory solutions provider Entorian Technologies in July of 2008 (see press release). The company offers advanced computing solutions for mission critical and enviornmentally challenging environments for military, telecomm and industrial markets. Augmentix re-engineers and ruggedizes Dell Latitude notebooks and Power Edge servers. The Augmentix XTG630, introduced in August of 2007, is based on the Dell Latitude ATG, but goes considerably farther in ruggedizing than the Dell product.

The XTG630 is an 8-pound notebook with a 13.9 x 9.9 footprint. It is 2.3 inches thick, has a 14.1-inch 1280 x 800 wide-format display that uses the same superb DirectVue display enhancement as the Dell ATG. Our technology editor, Geoff Walker, calls this the best currently available solution for a non-touchscreen outdoor viewability display. The XTG630 can be equipped with Core 2 Duo processors up to 2.4GHz clockspeed and with up to 4GB of RAM. The 1.8-inch 80GB hard disk is shock mounted and isolated. A second one can be placed in the machine's modular media bay. Augmentix also offers a 32GB solid state drive.

Unlike many very rugged machines, the XTG630 offers superb connectivity and expandability. There are four USB ports, serial, Firewire, LAN, modem, audio and video and a docking connector, all tightly sealed. There is a PC Card slot that also supports 34mm ExpressCards. The modular media bay can accommodate all sorts of optical drives, the above-mentioned second hard disk, a second battery (Li-Polymer), a floppy drive or a TravelLite module.

Augmentix prides itself in the array of tough materials used to make the XTG630 one of the most rugged notebooks available. Their "Augmentix Armored Protection System" uses a die-cast magnesium housing with internal structural framing support, thermo-elastomer compositie overmold, reinforced fiberglass injected polycarbonate, die cast compression gaskets, and custom paint sealant. This results in the ability to survive numerous 3-foot drops, IP54 sealing, and an extremely wide operating temperature range. And much to the company's credit, the XTG630 is also an attractive, appealing machine with proper ergonomic design. Internal thermal management keeps things cool, and Dell's vast experience in systems and components design provides superior reliability and economy.

On the communication side, Augmentix uses Dell's Hyperconnect Wireless Technology that supports EDVO Rev A and HSDPA 3.6 Mobile Broadband, integrated 802.11a/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth Class 2 and GPS. For security, there is the SmartSecurity Suite with multi-factor authentication that includes an integrated smart card reader, biometrics fingerprint reader and multi-level passwords. TPM 1.2 provides added cryptographic functionality and the machine also uses the Wave Embassy Trust Suite robust security software.

Update February 2009: Augmentix now longer offers the XTG630 and instead refers to the Dell Latitude XFR D630 as a Partner Product. Also, note that Augmentix was acquired by Entorian Technologies, a provider of advanced module and system-level products for high-reliability and high-performance markets, in July of 2008 (see press release).