If you have a PDA ask yourself a very important question. Is it safe from unforseen hazards on the road? When I asked myself this same question the answer scared me. NO, it's not protected. It's why I've taken steps to make my PDA as tough as possible. Let's face it, like Murphy's Law if something can go wrong, it will. Instead of waiting for the accident to happen I assumed it would and imagined the panic that would ensue without my PDA. That was enough to scare me into action.

What I've done in the terms of the industry is to "ruggedize" my PDA. It's now one tough cookie! A protective armor surrounds the PDA so it can withstand the natural elements like dust and moisture. Plus, the PDA is protected if in the event I accidentally drop or bump it against something else.

What are some of the pros and cons of a ruggetized PDA?

A ruggetized PDA does weigh and cost more than a consumer PDA. But the weight and price are worth it, considering it delivers needed protection for the PDA and it's data. The ruggetized outer cases made by Ottobox look like they're built for battle and rightfully they should be. These things are rock solid.

For quick data entry most ruggetized PDAs come with barcode or card readers as an option or built in feature.

If you're strictly looking at a rugged PDA and not the ruggetized outercase like with Ottobox, you'll find the software is a bit behind the times. I'll explain this more under the section called Options For A Rugged PDA. Briefly, most rugged PDAs in the marketplace run on older versions of Pocket PC software.

What is it like using a ruggetized PDA?

My friend Joe, who is a reporter, has a ruggetized outercase for his PDA. It's made by Ottobox. Joe's carried it with him as he's covered battles overseas and natural disasters from hurricanes to floods. His ruggedized PDA has performed well in dirt, rain, humid conditions, as well in jeep rides when he's been in the war zone and in the outback in Australia. It's got rocked around, knocked into and still functioned without missing a beat.

According to Otterbox, the protective armor is made from indestructible, reinforced ABS plastic. Joe uses the OtterBox Armor 3600. It's the same one I use. It is designed for use in the field. Even if the field, in my case, is a convertible car and survey work as a landscape architect.

When it comes to high-end function and safety it is not always about looks, but the Ottobox does look very cool. It reminds me of the Xterra car. Mine is in florescent yellow, but the Otterbox 3600 also comes in midnight black. The pins on the case are Marine Grade 316 stainless steel, which is ideal for salt and freshwater situations.

My rugged PDA case is waterproof too. I accidentally tested that when I knocked over a cup of water as I was driving. Dumb move, I know. I had a near panic attack over it, but then remembered the thing was waterproof up to three meters in depth. Naturally, I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The Otterbox Armor 3600 has what they call a "through-the-Box" connectivity Kit, which allows you to use a variety of cables and still keep the unit sealed from harmful weather conditions. You can add on GPS receivers, barcode readers and other accessories.

What about the mobile signal strength?

One of the unexpected benefits of a ruggetized PDA is that it actually protects the signal strength. I noticed this with my Bluetooth GPS connection. The PDA is no longer just left open to the elements. Instead of natural conditions causing an interference with the signal strength the PDA is insulated.

Which is more cost effective a rugged PDA case or a ruggetized PDA?

A rugged PDA case is much more cost effective than the ruggedized PDAs in the marketplace. The Ottobox PDA case is nearly a third the price of a rugged PDA. Plus, if you need to upgrade its easy. Simply switch to a different PDA and keep your existing case. You save money without compromising on the protection of your PDA.

What options are there for a rugged PDA?

My friend Larry, who is an engineer and former Navy Seal, uses Raytheon's Agama's ultra-ruggedized Pocket PC. This unit is designed for military and commercial use and includes: Intel's StrongARM 206 MHz processor, 64 MB of RAM, 32 MB of flash ROM, a color touch screen, and a single Secure Digital card slot. Options include: Bluetooth, GPS, GPRS, or CDMA, and single and dual card expansion modules. It runs on the Pocket PC 2002 software.

There are many other rugged PDAs on the market. My friend Carl, who works for the U.S. Department of Fish and Game, uses the Recon PDA by Tripod Data Systems (TDS) http://www.tdsway.com/products/recon. This ruggetized PDA meets MIL-STD-810F military standards. It is built to withstand harsh weather conditions and is waterproof. The Recon PDA runs on Windows Mobile 2003 and comes with either 200 MHz or 400 MHz XScale processor, 64 MB of RAM and 64 or 128 MB of flash storage. This high allocation of storage secures the data from resets and loss of power. It comes with a color display and a front light. With Recon's PDA running on Windows Mobile 2003 it's convenient to use the pocket versions of Word, Excel, email and calendar.

Symbol's MC9000-Gruns on Windows Mobile 2003 (or Windows CE.NET) software and has 64 MB RAM and 64MB flash. Like the other rugged PDAs it too is designed to withstand the harmful effects of dust, water, and being accidentally dropped.

What's the upkeep like on a PDA rugged case?

It's easy to clean. I use a Q tip and wipe away the dirt and grime from the outer case and seal.

Can you lock the PDA Case?

Yes. On the latch of my Otterbox there are holes, which are real handy if you want to make the unit tamper proof. These holes can be locked if you install screws in the openings. Otterbox says to use a 3.0mm x 6.0mm long Socket Head Cap Screw (SCHS), which uses a 2.5mm hex wrench.

Can you hook up external antennas for GPS?

Yes. To get signal strength you need the antenna to be in the best possible position and pointed skyward. Sometimes this can look a little humorous. A few months ago, I saw a colleague with a pole mounted antenna. It seemed like he grew an extra head.

What my colleague had on his back is a pole equipped backpack known as a Garmin 17N. The GPS receiver is built right into the dome, that's what I had jokingly called an extra head. The Garmin 17N is widely used by survey workers in the field. With the Garmin 72/76, known as a quad-helix antenna, the top edge of the unit needs to point skyward.

There are other smaller antennas. For instance, the Garmin 27C is slim and black much like tape a cassette. You can attach it to a baseball cap, a pole, or a backpack. An added benefit of this unit is that it can improve signal strength for your PDA.

Connectivity is easy. With these external antennas you simply connect the GPS with a cable to your PDA and use the PDA software to view maps and conduct fieldwork. If you don't want to worry about getting cables dirty or lugging them around you may want to look into wireless Bluetooth GPS units that connect to your PDA.

Is it easy to use a ruggetized PDA in the field?

Yes. The recessed plastic is very visible. The adjustable velcro strap is easy to grip if you have gloves on, or if your hands are sticky or sweaty from work in the field.

I like the handy stylus holder on the outside of the case. There is no fumbling around and asking myself where did the stylus go? It's right there wherever I go!

If you work in the field, like me, and need to bring your PDA into dusty, humid, or unstable weather conditions be sure to ruggetize the case. It's the needed protection that will give you peace of mind. Verizon wireless offers a reliable national wireless Internet service called Wireless Sync.

The Chinese Government is rumored to distribute laptops to all its citizens in an attempt to nip over-population in the bud (or rather, seed). Ok, perhaps socialism hasn't come along this far, but recent studies do indicate that laptop use may hurt sperm production in young adult males permanently.

What You Say?

It's true, "teenage boys and young men may consider limiting their use of laptop computers on their laps," quipped Yefim Sheynkin, the lead researcher of an interesting (though somewhat sparse, yuk yuk) study on the effects laptops have on scrotal temperatures and sperm counts. When a laptop is balanced on one's knees, the user is forced to close their legs together, raising scrotal temperatures by an average of 2.1 degrees celsius (3.8 F). Internal laptop temperatures can soar to 70 degrees celsius (158 F). The result is higher scrotal temperatures in males by around 2.7 degrees celsius (4.86 F), according to Sheynkin's study on 29 brave male volunteers.

Someone Set Up Us the Bomb

Are you thinking what I'm thinking, that the US government (the same monster that somehow puts poisons in plane jetstreams to kill off the elderly) was behind the advent of the laptop computer in order to control population? If so, your medication might be just a placebo. Whatever the case, studies show that 1 degree celsius is the minimal difference for inhibited spermatogenisis (sperm production). Although damage is temporary in most cases, habitual and prolonged laptop use might cause permanent damage. Sheynkin said: "The body needs to maintain a proper testicular temperature for normal sperm production and development. We don't know the exact frequency and time of heat exposure capable of producing reversible or irreversible changes in spermatogenesis."

You Have No Chance to Survive, Make Your Time

Ok, so as inconclusive as this study seems, it is an established truth that heat is bad for the little guys. Not only this, but laptops are just plain uncomfortable. There is a solution out there. I have come accross the Xpad Heatshield, a handy new item that shields your lap from uncomfortable laptop heat and channels heat away quickly. Perhaps the most energy consuming device in a laptop is the cooling fan. I have found that when I use my Xpad with my powerbook, the battery life increases, probably by about 20% or so. Plus, I have heard that putting your laptop on a soft surface (like a pillow) inhibits heat dissipation, damaging your laptop's battery permanently. Xpad protects our batteries, our posterity, and passively protests the government's evil conspiracies.

The Xpad is simple in design. It is a solid base with raised rubber pads (in the shape of an "X) that raise the laptop by a little less than an inch. It allows heat to escape quite easily while gripping your laptop firmly to the base. A pad on the bottom makes it comfortable for your lap.

There it sits: the shiny new high-definition monitor that you just picked up for a killer price. You pull out your laptop with dreams of sharp, hi-res graphics dancing through your head, only to realize that your laptop only has a VGA out port. You could always get a VGA to DVI adapter, but with only an analog signal, what do you do about the picture quality? The resolution? The definition? Without the digital, what’s the point?

You’re not alone. With the proliferation of high definition TVs, monitors, and projectors, laptop users looking to get a bigger viewing surface than the sometimes miniscule laptop screen now have the chance to see their desktop in sharp, clear, digital high-definition.

Until recently, most laptops have only had a VGA out jack. Even the nicest multimedia platforms have only had S-Video and RCA video out in addition to the ubiquitous VGA out. Unfortunately, all of these video options are analog, resulting in a loss of clarity and resolution. The loss isn’t devastating, but those wishing to experience high-def in all its glory will want to go digital.

Happily, you can now add a DVI port to your analog laptop, letting you take full advantage of the luscious visual goodness that DVI offers. The VTBook DVI/VGA Dual Display Video PCMCIA Card (the best, and as far as I can tell, only option as far as a DVI expansion card is concerned) plugs neatly into a PCMCIA slot on the side of your laptop, giving you a DVI digital high-def signal your parents would be proud of.

So go ahead and buy that hi-def monitor you’ve been looking at, but don’t forget the VTBook. You won’t regret it.

For the holidays this year, more people will be getting mobile computing options than ever before in history. With so many various ways of staying connected through computers, people seem to not be able to get enough. This is great news for all of those out there that love new technology as it is the force behind many companies and their drive to have the best of, the latest and greatest of, and of course the public's favorite mobile computing device.

We rush here to there. We have less time is seems than people did years ago. The fact is that we just burn more of it and demand more from it. But, when you can take some of that time and turn it into a profit, things can begin to look, well, up. Mobile computing allows you to stay focused, no matter what you do or when on a variety of options and to a variety of networks. Here are some of the ways that you can stay ahead of the game.

Planning a power lunch but are you afraid to leave the office to miss some important email? Well then don't worry, take mobile computing with you. You can take your whole laptop if you like, but you just do not have to. You can use your pocket pc or even your mobile computing cell phone to do all the work for you. Yes, nothing is easier.

Need to send a file and forgot to? Don't even need to call the office and tell them that you messed up again. All you need to do is to flip open that phone and begin a mobile computing session that will get the job done in seconds.

There are so many ways that mobile computing fits into our lives. In fact, there are so many ways and we use them so much that we seem to forget what life is like without them. Mobile computing is one of the most important, can't live without it services that we have today.

Having a notebook or laptop provides the freedom to be truly mobile. You can work in many places and situations. But this brings an annoyance: if you move your notebook between various different networks, you always have to change network settings.

Recently my employer has issued me a brand new notebook. When I came home at the end of the day, I had to disable DHCP, set up an IP-address and DNS configuration. Next morning I needed to reverse my configuration to work at my office. The real headache began when I went to our customer site...

SWITCHING NETWORK SETTINGS ON THE FLY.

There are three ways to switch a notebook between networks with one click. First is to use a built-in windows feature of saving and loading network settings. This way is for experienced users. Second is by using Windows XP "alternate configuration" feature. The third way is to use third-party utilities like Net Profile Switch, IPSwitch etc. Let's discuss all three.

WINDOWS "NETSH" UTILITY.

Windows 2000 comes with the "netsh" utility that gives you the possibility to "dump" all network settings into a file which you can later use to restore your complete Network settings.

To Save the current Settings use "netsh -c interface dump >netset1.txt" To Load the Settings again use "netsh -f netset1.txt"

Create a dump file for every Network that you use (e.g.., netset2.txt, etc.) and create a desktop shortcut for every Network.

Pros: - Cons: hard for inexperienced users, does not deal with switching a proxy server in a web-browser, mapping network drives etc.

WINDOWS XP "ALTERNATE CONFIGURATION" FEATURE

Windows XP contains the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) properties" dialog box, which has a tab "Alternate Configuration" in it. You can specify "alternative" settings, which would be used when the "default" settings are not accessible.

Pros: simple Cons: does not deal with three or more networks, no proxy switching etc.

"NET PROFILE SWITCH" UTILITY

Another way is to use the "Net Profile Switch" utility from Jitbit Software (http://www.jitbit.com/). This tool creates a profile with your configuration settings, and you can easily switch between locations by activating a profile with one click. Net Profile Switch not only switches the TCP/IP protocol settings but also switches the proxy-server settings of your Web Browser (Internet Explorer or Firefox), Windows Firewall settings and maps/unmaps network drives for each location. There a free non-commercial edition of this tool available.