There is not much to add to the comprehensive review we've done on this exemplary rugged Tablet PC when it was first announced, so let's just recap the basics:

What MobileDemand offers with the T8600 is a Tablet PC created in a team effort between MobileDemand's engineers and one of Taiwan's most experienced and respected OEMs. With a footprint of just 10.6 x 7.2 inches and being just over an inch and a half thick, the T8600 is compact and handy. A very cleverly designed and comfortable handstrap makes it easy to carry the device in one hand. Despite its very rugged construction it weighs less than five pounds with the high capacity battery installed. That battery, incidentally, packs almost 80 watt-hours and lasts essentially a full shift (well, it's rated at seven hours). The Ultra Low Voltage processor provides a perfect balance between more than adequate performance, excellent battery life, and fan-less operation. A shock-mounted 40GB hard disk provides ample storage space, and a maximum of 1.28GB of DDR2 RAM is plenty for any Windows XP application. The 8.4-inch display has an active Wacom-style digitizer, which means the slender, lightweight pen does not need batteries. The screen has 800 x 600 pixel SVGA resolution, marginal for web browsing, but good enough for the usually custom-designed vertical market applications software. MobileDemand calls the display "enhanced brightness," but this is still a display meant to be used indoors or in vehicles as opposed to direct sunlight.

The T8600's backlit numeric keypad is a tremendous productivity booster. It has a standard numeric layout, but also provides a 4-way navigation diamond, Enter Tab, Backspace and, via an orange function key, Esc, screen rotation, keypad backlight operation, brightness and volume control. There is the Tablet PC "Security" button that issues a Alt-Ctl-Del that brings up the Windows Task Manager, and a yellow Quick Launch button that can be assigned to any application. If you use the imager, most likely you'll use it to trigger the scan.

Unlike many fully rugged computers, the xTablet T8600 has good onboard connectivity. Along the bottom are a standard 9-pin serial port, a multi I/O connector for the dock, and power. Along the top are a RJ45 jack for the T8600's gigabit LAN, a PC Card slot, a mini-USB port and the pen tether hole. On the right side are two USB ports, a modem jack, a CF Card slot and audio in/out jacks.

The T8600 is a computer that simply makes sense. It doesn't seek to be all things to all people. Instead, it is a tool for the job, and generally very specific jobs. The addition of the optional imager and magnetic strip reader makes the xTablet T8600 that much more useful and opens up a large variety of additional areas where this machine could be used.

Any machine used in the field must be able to withstand much more punishment and much harsher environmental conditions than a standard consumer-grade notebook or tablet. Making a machine semi-rugged or rugged is difficult enough, but to provide all the functionality and connectivity this mobile computer provides and make it rugged, that is not easy.

The T8600 carries an IP54 ingress protection rating, which means it is sealed against dust and protected against water spray from all direction. Thanks to its magnesium alloy housing and construction, extensive shock-mounting, and clever design, the machine can be dropped from three feet. In tests, it survived 26 such drops. It can also operate in a very wide temperature range between -4 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit.

On MobileDemand's suggestion, we actually did our own water ingress protection test. Yes, we placed the T8600 into a shower stall, cranked up the machine and played a video on it so we could see if the T8600 stayed alive. Then we gave it a good shower -- full blast -- and recorded it. Click on the screenshot to the left to see the actual test. Did the T8600 pass? You bet. So if a delivery truck driver needs to step out into hard rain, no big deal. The T8600 can take it, easily.

Summary