14 DAY TRIAL // In a market where new Pine trail netbooks and Calpella notebooks come out on a weekly basis, it is always refreshing to see a PC supplier bring out a mobile PC that has more than just a brand name, a new color theme and label to make it unique. After it introduced the Terra Mobile 1745, a laptop based on an Athlon central processing unit from Advanced Micro Devices, the company has now revealed a newer model that, while powered by an Intel chip and integrated graphics, stands out thanks to its semi-rugged design.
Netbooks and small notebooks are designed for ultimate portability, as on-the-go companions, but, like the greatest part of the mobile PCs, they are mostly helpless when it comes to withstanding drops, spills or any other form of incurring damage. In seeking to offer a device capable of surviving such events, Wortmann designed its Terra Mobile 1430 as a semi-rugged machine whose magnesium alloy casing protects the sensitive and easily breakable but capable hardware housed inside it.
The 14-inch Wortmann Terra Mobile 1430 is based on an Intel Core 2 Duo T6570 central processing unit, which operates at a frequency of 2.1Ghz. This chip is backed by 3GB of RAM, a hard drive with a storage capacity of 320GB and the Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics. The configuration also boasts a DVD writer, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/Draft-N WiFi, a 1.3-megapixel webcam, optional 3G and GPS and even a fingerprint reader. Finally, the PC features a non-glare screen with a maximum resolution of 1,280 x 800 pixels and a spill-resistant keyboard and touchpad.
While promising a reasonable damage resistance, Wortmann's product weighs 2.5 kilograms and comes pre-loaded with Windows 7 Professional or, should consumers desire, the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. It has already been listed on the company's website, where it is priced at 1,339 Euro.