Panasonic CF-51 Toughbook

[Catman]

Is anyones department using one of these in lieu of a fully ruggedized CF-28 or CF-29? They're over $2000 cheaper. Any input?

Here is a link to the specs.

CF-51 Toughbook

[ZGXtreme]

Due to where the laptop will be used, I would say you get what you pay for, that 51 looks nowhere as "tough" as the 28s the department here is using. I would think of the money you would have saved as an investment in reliability and dependability. Then again I know you aren't the bean counter and something like that while it makes perfect logical sense to us... won't to them!

[Catman]

Due to where the laptop will be used, I would say you get what you pay for, that 51 looks nowhere as "tough" as the 28s the department here is using. I would think of the money you would have saved as an investment in reliability and dependability. Then again I know you aren't the bean counter and something like that while it makes perfect logical sense to us... won't to them!

We have 28's and some 27's that are 6+ years old. The 27's, at least the Pentium 1's need to go (yes Pentium 1's). We're trying to get on a 3-4 year replacement cycle. I can get four 51's for the price of two 29's. The 51's actually have a better spec there just not as rugged. We're not taking them out of the cars so the main issue might be temperature related. The chief wants the best we can get but we only have a certain amount to work with this year.

[ZGXtreme]

Hmm, well if your main focus is temperature related I would almost say it would be worth a shot trying the 51's out. Since even the more rugged models have had that problem here, well a black and white mixed with Oklahoma's summer heat don't help, but regardless ours still on occasion black out due to heat. A few guys have to keep medium sized, light colored hand towels in their rides so when they park, put the screen down and cover it so when you get back in you don't have to worry about waiting for the screen to fade back in.

[Catman]

We usually don't have that type of heat up here so it might work out. Maybe we'll get one and see how it works. If it's not up to task we can move it to a less hostile environment.

[ZGXtreme]

We usually don't have that type of heat up here so it might work out. Maybe we'll get one and see how it works. If it's not up to task we can move it to a less hostile environment.

Ya, you'd think Panasonic would be willin' to hook you up with one to test with for awhile.

[Catman]

Ya, you'd think Panasonic would be willin' to hook you up with one to test with for awhile.

Workin on it.

[PeteBroccolo]

Catman, I have not heard of the RCMP looking at the CF-51, nor had I even heard of that model until I saw your post.

We still have some CF-27's kicking around in this Division, but they are quite rare. I am still using a CF-28, and find that its battery will drain down when I have it mounted in the car's docking port with ROADS opened up and have the car's engine shut off for an hour or more.

As far as I have heard, we will be transitioning to the CF-29 when we switch from XWave's ROADS to Niche's mobile (with CAD access and messaging, GPS mapping/monitoring and CPIC (including ACUPIES/NCIC) query/messaging), and disconnected version of their RMS (that the RCMP will nickname PROS).

Regina PS, which is one of the largest (350+ personnel) non-RCMP Municipal Police Services in this Province, is transitioning to Niche RMS (all 3 versions) and I noticed last week that some of their cars already have switched over from the antiquated MDTs they had to CF-29s mounted on docking ports and miniature, roof-mounted, GPS and/or wi-fi data-transmission antennas.

Maybe the CF-28/29 stand up better to extreme cold, or maybe the RCMP figures our Regular Members are fumble-handed when it comes to moving these MWS in and out of the cars back-and-forth into the Detachments.

I believe that there is at least one British and one Australian state police service, with at least 1 member of one of those Agencies being a O.com member, that are also transitioning soon to Niche, but what MWS they will be using I am not sure.

[Catman]

Catman, I have not heard of the RCMP looking at the CF-51, nor had I even heard of that model until I saw your post.

We still have some CF-27's kicking around in this Division, but they are quite rare. I am still using a CF-28, and find that its battery will drain down when I have it mounted in the car's docking port with ROADS opened up and have the car's engine shut off for an hour or more.

As far as I have heard, we will be transitioning to the CF-29 when we switch from XWave's ROADS to Niche's mobile (with CAD access and messaging, GPS mapping/monitoring and CPIC (including ACUPIES/NCIC) query/messaging), and disconnected version of their RMS (that the RCMP will nickname PROS).

Regina PS, which is one of the largest (350+ personnel) non-RCMP Municipal Police Services in this Province, is transitioning to Niche RMS (all 3 versions) and I noticed last week that some of their cars already have switched over from the antiquated MDTs they had to CF-29s mounted on docking ports and miniature, roof-mounted, GPS and/or wi-fi data-transmission antennas.

Maybe the CF-28/29 stand up better to extreme cold, or maybe the RCMP figures our Regular Members are fumble-handed when it comes to moving these MWS in and out of the cars back-and-forth into the Detachments.

I believe that there is at least one British and one Australian state police service, with at least 1 member of one of those Agencies being a O.com member, that are also transitioning soon to Niche, but what MWS they will be using I am not sure.

Ours don't come out of the cars so that takes "drops" out of the equation.
One of your guys emailed me for a patch recently.

[PeteBroccolo]

I am not sure whether we will be regularly moving the MWS back-and-forth between the office and the cars after we roll out Niche Mobile (which we, or maybe Niche, call SAMM - Status And Messaging Module). We may do so during non-duty hours to recharge the batteries, or while the vehicles are being serviced, or to update software.

The Detachments in this Division that do NOT have ROADS or SAMM now seem to NOT bother taking their CF-27/28 out in the car with them, since they really can not use them out on the road. Some of the Detachments USED TO take them out, however, when they were still able to use them for the disconnected version of our previous RMS, called SPURS, which was a semi-paperless system that allowed the "export" of electronic unused file numbers, as well as electronic copies of still-under-investigation reports, to the lap-tops, so that new reports could be created, and SUI files could be updated, away from the office. These reports then had to be "imported" back onto the main-frame at the end of the shift. The poor ergonomics of using these lap-tops in the cars, when viewed in light of most of those Detachments NOT having access to ROADS, tended to out-weigh the usefulness of working on reports in the car, so these lap-tops became defacto extra desk-top computers in the office.

Hey, if the CF-51s work out, let me know - maybe I can convince someone higher-up to look at obtaining some to be fitted with a saddle for us!

Make sure you get a decent return on that patch!