14 DAY TRIAL // DRS ARMOR C12 is one of those notebooks that warm your heart up when you see it working even after it took a jump down the stairs. A military grade notebook, designed to hold up to most of the rugged device standards, DRS ARMOR C12 can easily become the favorite of a computer enthusiast, especially one that is into ultra-portable notebooks. Whether you're planning a trip to the jungle or you want to go to the cold North, this is the notebook you would like to have with you all the way.
This 12.1" rugged convertible notebook may have not been designed for gaming contests, but it is a travel mate that can go with you anywhere and still lets you enjoy all of his features. The chassis is designed to offer the components as much protection as possible. This is why there are rubber strips covering all the parts that may hit objects around. Also, thick metal panels protect its vital parts from sharp impacts.
As not only shocks and drops are the problem for some notebooks, DRS ARMOR C12 is also designed to be impervious to water and dust as well. All the external ports have waterproof caps that keep dirt and moisture out and also protect the connectors from being hit and damaged. There are no easily replaceable components on the bottom of the notebook, but access panels with large screws holding them in place. Again two jobs for the panels, as they keep the parts together if the notebook is dropped, and the water outside due to the o-ring sealing.
DRS ARMOR C12 has its own carrying handle which, along with a spring-loaded metal latch that keeps the notebook closed securely, makes it look less like a mobile computer and more like a briefcase. The large screws securing the access panels on the bottom of the notebook are sealed with o-rings to keep out water, dust or moisture. Underneath the panels there are foam blocks that maintain a constant tension on the installed parts. Some extra protection is given to the hard drive, which has a foam cage of its own, which protects it from sharp impacts. The SATA connector has a flexible wire strand design, so that any shocks given to the hard drive do not affect it or the motherboard.
A 12.1" passive touchscreen makes the display of the DRS ARMOR Convertible Notebook. The touchscreen is bright enough to allow it being read in the sunlight. The screen can be rotated around, enabling the user to work in a slate or tablet manner. The touchscreen is easy and enjoyable to use in the slate manner, especially since all buttons on the outside perimeter of the screen can be customized in BIOS. On the bottom of the notebook you can find the pen needed for working with the touchscreen, although it works on fingerprint as well. Yet, the pen has a rough tip, and some may just think at getting an extra pen with a smoother tip, to operate the touchscreen.
This is about all on the design and exterior features of DRS ARMOR C12. Before getting to the inside, some words about its operating conditions are worth being said. When it comes to temperature, this notebook can work just fine between 41?F and 113?F (5?C to 45?C). Its storage capacity remains unchanged from -40?F to 158?F (-40?C to 70?C). It supports up to 95% humidity (without condensation) and can operate at 15,000 ft (4,572 m) altitude. It remains operational even if the altitude changes at a 2,000 ft/min (609.6 m/min) rate and the storage capacity remains the same even at 40,000 ft (12,192 m).
More of these are to come: Vibration operating: 10 - 55 Hz / 0.075 mm, 55 - 500 Hz / 9.8 m/s2, sine wave, storage: 10 - 55 Hz / 0.15 mm, 55 - 500 Hz / 19.6 m/s2, sine wave 20 - 1000 Hz / 0.04 G2/Hz, 1000 - 2000 Hz / -6dB/Octave, random wave. Splash: 10 minutes, 2.64 US gal/min (10 L/min). Shock operating: 147 m/s2 (15 G), 11 ms, half sine wave, storage: 490 m/s2 (50 G), 11 ms, half sine wave. And finally, it can withstand about 26 drops on plywood from a height of 35 inches (90 cm), on every side (face, corner) and about 6 on concrete.
I guess it would remain operational even after throwing it out of the car and bouncing on the road.
Let's get inside it a little. DRS ARMOR C12 features an Intel U1400 Core Solo processor running at 1.2GHz. This should not wonder anyone, as there is no fan cooling it, the heat dissipation being made through the metal chassis. It supports up to 2.5 GB of memory, 2GB being user replaceable. The hard disk drive has a 60GB storage capacity and is removable too. The 84-key keyboard features a back light and the six touchscreen buttons support up to 10 functions. There is a 10/100/1000 Ethernet Card, a 56 K V.92 modem and also a Wireless LAN integrated IEEE 802.11 a/b/g Wi-Fi adapter. A PCMCIA card Type II, SD memory card, 3 USB 2.0 ports and an analog RGB output (UXGA: 1600 x 1200), as well as a Mic/line in mini jack (stereo) and a line-out mini jack (stereo) make the outputs lists of the notebook.
An overall look on DRS ARMOR C12 tells you that this is a worthy rugged convertible notebook. It weighs 5.2 lbs. (2.5 kg) including the 11.1v 5200mAh battery. For those curious, the battery goes 5 hours with the screen brightness set at 30% and about one hour with full brightness. The keyboard is sealed from water entry and the touchpad buttons are covered with rubber. The notebook is 99% silent, sometimes you don't even realize it's on, and the heat is minimal, although the chassis work like a giant heatsink. Even though some plastic or rubber parts seem to be peeling away after short usage, DRS ARMOR C12 still has a very good built quality and proves itself valuable even in some extreme operating conditions.
