Hardware Torture Tests
Can today's portable products take a licking and keep on ticking? To find out, we dropped them. We ran over them. And we put them through the spin cycle.Michael Cahlin is a freelance writer in Southern California and a frequent contributor to PC World. Kalpana Ettenson is a senior editor for PC World.
Photograph by Manuello Paganelli
Which raises the question: Just how reliable are the tech products we depend on every day? Can a notebook survive a 6-foot drop? Will your USB memory key still work after taking a spin in a washing machine? Will an IPod sing after it's been dropped in the sand? I set out to get some rough answers to these tough questions. I collected a variety of widely used mobile products--including a notebook computer, a digital camera, a cell phone, a smart phone, an MP3 player, a USB memory key, and an
SD media card--and put them through informal, simulated accidents to see how much maltreatment these electronic gadgets could withstand.
I dropped a few onto the floor, spilled liquid on them, and generally banged them around. I even drove my car over a few. None of my tests were entirely scientific, but in some cases I really pushed the limits, subjecting the products to the kind of abuse that could only be expected to destroy them. In most of those cases, I got my wish. Please don't think badly of me--I did it in the name of curiosity (and maybe a little payback for all the times my tech products have failed me).
For the most part, the products I tested were stronger and more durable than they looked. But without exception, each would have fared even better had it been inside some kind of protective case or covering. And while you can't always prevent accidents, you can prepare for them. For more on how to guard your hardware from mishaps, see "Protect Your Gear."
If your work takes to you locations with extreme conditions, chances are good that you'll need a ruggedized product--one that's built to endure hard knocks. The PC World Test Center looked at a couple of ruggedized laptops to see how much rough handling they could weather. The Test Center found that the notebooks stood up to our abuse amazingly well. For more on our testing methods, see "Built to Take a Beating."
Drowning a Notebook
Photograph by Manuello Paganelli
I held my breath every time the bagged notebook ricocheted off a wall or crashed to the floor. But the Gateway responded like a cagey fighter trained to withstand damaging body blows and get up off the canvas. It consistently rebooted and recognized my wireless network without fail. Surprisingly, no plastic pieces cracked, though on several occasions the battery became slightly dislodged and the optical drive popped open.
I then removed the notebook from the bag, closed it, and knocked it off my desk onto the carpeted floor. The notebook continued to take the punishment. Again, the battery dislodged and the optical drive opened, but otherwise the system continued to work.
Dropping the Gateway onto a hardwood floor caused severe physical damage. The notebook's screen cracked, and the black plastic molding above the keyboard popped out. Plastic splinters littered the floor, and the optical drive refused to open. I inserted a paper clip into the hole next to the open/close button to release the drive, however, and it continued to work. Though scratched, scraped, and pretty banged up, the Gateway could still operate.
Coffee spilled onto the notebook's chassis was the coup de grace. I tipped coffee in my travel-size mug onto the keyboard, causing a slight sizzle, after which the Gateway's blue light winked out like the HAL 9000 computer in 2001. Like a frenzied ER physician, I quickly turned off the machine, removed the battery, drained the liquid, mopped the keys, set the unit aside, and waited--but the patient died on the table. None of my efforts resuscitated the critically wounded laptop.
Though many notebooks have "water-resistant" features such as a protected keyboard, my advice is not to drink anywhere near your hard drive. Or at the very least, use a travel mug or bottle with a closable mouthpiece, and keep it shut. GRADE: STURDY
Camera on Concrete
Photograph by Manuello Paganelli
I dropped the Canon from my desk onto the carpet--a fall it survived, though it started collecting dings. Dropping it onto the hardwood floor popped open the SD Card slot, opened the chassis, knocked out the batteries, and broke the flash. Luckily, all the pieces snapped back in easily, and the camera happily resumed shooting pictures.
A concrete patio proved to be the camera's undoing. I placed the Canon on the edge of a table and tipped it over onto the ground. The camera body opened slightly on the initial crash, but I was able to close it and still operate the camera. Over the course of the second and third drops, the shutter button came off, the rubber terminal cover flap and the SD Card slot both popped open, and the zoom lens became sluggish, requiring hands-on help to literally pull out the lens. Still, the Canon could take pictures (without the flash), and every internal feature I tested worked perfectly.
Drop nine finally killed the camera. The viewfinder lens broke, and the zoom lens no longer worked. The chassis cracked open on the top and then on the left side, though both pieces could be snapped back into place. The camera still turned on and the color display flashed the blue Canon logo. I could hear the zoom lens's internal mechanism chugging, but then the screen went blank. A mysterious white "E18" appeared in the lower-left corner, and the camera shut off.
To tweak the old adage about lawyers, a digital camera without a protective case has a fool for an owner. Not only does a padded case protect the camera, but often it also has built-in pockets for batteries and memory cards. GRADE: FRAGILE
Cell Phone vs. BMW
Photograph by Manuello Paganelli
I first started beating up the V220 in my car, by placing it on the dashboard and taking sharp turns. It banged against the windshield and doors, and eventually bounced to the floorboard. The barrage of knocks barely marred the sleek silver-and-black casing, and all features continued to work.
Dropping the phone on wet grass also produced no ill effects--a quick wipe, and it was as good as new. Repeated pavement poundings popped the battery on occasion and added several surface nicks, but the V220 remained unfazed.
Finally, I closed the phone and ran over it with my 1987 BMW 325i on my paved driveway. I moved the car s-l-o-w-l-y and then rested its full weight on the V220, three times. I figured that would pretty much demolish the device. The display cracked, leaving a blue and red Rorschach blot, and the back cover burst loose, taking the battery with it.
But surprisingly, the car did not crush the phone, crack the back cover, or destroy--let alone dent--the battery. What's more, I was able to fit all the phone's loose pieces back into place perfectly. Even more amazing, the V220 was still able to receive and place phone calls, though the sound was a little tinny and sometimes crackled. Every feature tied to the shattered display--autodialing, caller ID, address book, Web surfing, text messaging, and camera--was completely inoperable. Nevertheless, the fact that I could still make calls was pretty darned impressive. GRADE: VERY STURDY
Strong Smart Phone
With a gorgeous color screen and a delicate feel, the PalmOne Treo 600 smart phone seemed destined for disaster. How wrong I was in assuming that.
I subjected the Treo 600 to treatment similar to that which I inflicted on the Motorola cell phone: I bounced it inside my car and dropped it off a desk onto carpeted and hardwood floors. I also stepped on it, and buried it completely in the sand at the ocean. (And, while it was not a sanctioned part of the test, my cat swatted the unit several times, too.)
Even though the Treo 600 was not protected by a shock-absorbent case or plastic screen cover, it laughed off the car beatings. The phone lost no calls, nor did it accidentally turn on or shut off. Repeatedly knocking it off the desk onto a carpeted floor also left it undamaged, although the unit did turn off on several occasions.
The desk-to-hardwood-floor test produced scratches but nothing else. If dropped when in phone mode, the Treo automatically turned off. If an application was running--the calculator, for example--the device stayed on and the data remained on screen, though a mysterious extra 9 appeared every time I dropped it. All smart phone features performed perfectly after each test.
As I buried the Treo in dry sand, I got more than a few are-you-crazy looks from passersby, but the sand did nothing to beach the PalmOne. Sand particles became wedged under the display casing and keypads, but aside from a little crunching as I pressed the keys (which eventually disappeared) and a smattering of sand detritus that continued to filter out, all of the Treo 600's myriad smart-phone capabilities continued to work perfectly. I would buy this rugged smart phone in a heartbeat. GRADE: EXTREMELY STURDY
MP3 Player Gets Crunchy
I took a 6GB silver IPod Mini along in my car for a bouncy ride, dropped it on wet grass and dry pavement, knocked it off a desk onto carpeted and hardwood floors, and dropped it in dry sand.
Like a nervous runway model, the IPod Mini looks great but spooks easily. Bouncing inside the car caused a couple of skips. Drops on soft wet grass and carpet had no ill effect, though the pretty player practically begs to be wiped clean.
Dropping it from the car seat to the curb, and off a desk onto a hardwood floor, produced a few nicks and caused songs to skip and the device to shut down repeatedly. Still, all the unit's features continued to work after the abuse, and songs played.
But my Mini did not like the beach. Without the benefit of a protective case or plastic display covering on the unit, sand wedged under the scroll wheel, affecting all controls. I could see the feature settings and highlight them, but the crunching sand somehow prevented the Mini from launching them. The unit turned on, but could not turn off. I had to wait several minutes for the IPod's automatic shutdown feature--which kicks in after a few minutes without play--to take effect.
Although I was able to turn the player back on, the screen was jumpy; and, again, settings could be highlighted but not set. After I blew off the external sand with compressed air and gently shook the unit, the Mini pulled itself together and began to work properly. Unfortunately, I found no easy way to open the case and blow out the sand that remained trapped inside. I could still hear the grains crunching under the wheel and inside the unit. What's more, weeks after the test, the unit is still slow to turn on and off, sometimes requiring that I press the wheel several times before it wakes up or shuts down. Nevertheless, to its credit, all of the IPod Mini's features work. GRADE: STURDY
Superlative Memory Key
Photograph by Manuello Paganelli
I knocked the drive off a desk onto a hardwood floor, dropped it, stepped on it, and buried it in the sand. It also took a spin through the washing machine and dryer. Just to mix things up, I ran over it with my car, too.
There is truth in advertising. Neither water, heat, sand, nor BMW could keep the memory key from its appointed storage rounds. Abuse bounced off the Lexar like bullets off Superman. The car did squeeze the metal USB connector tip a tad tighter, but the device was still able to make contact with the USB port, and it worked perfectly. No wonder these durable drives have kicked the venerable floppy into extinction. GRADE: EXTREMELY STURDY
Mighty Memory Card
My biggest complaint with portable storage devices like the SanDisk SD 64MB media card is that they're so easy to misplace. As for the media card's durability: spectacular. I swatted it off a desk onto a hardwood floor, dropped it, stepped on it, and buried it in the sand. I also "forgot" it in a jeans front pocket, where it underwent a two-rinse cycle in the wash and then tumbled in the dryer for an hour on a high "cotton" setting.
The SanDisk memory card aced every torture test. During its dryer spin, the card tumbled out of the pants pocket. I finally found it nestled in a sheet, and after taking it out, it still worked.
Then, I placed the card in the Canon camera where it was repeatedly dropped. It survived every test, data intact. I'll likely lose this card long before it ever loses any data. GRADE: EXTREMELY STURDY
So what I have learned? These products are surprisingly tough, but many have an Achilles' heel--liquid in the case of the notebook, sand for the IPod, and hardwood and concrete floors with the digital camera. While you may get away with a couple of accidental spills and drops, the best way to safeguard your gear is to use a protective case. Some are more cushioned than others, though, so be prepared to shop around to find the perfect one for you. As for me, well, I have even more respect for my tech products. Gone is my need for payback for all the destroyed drives and dropped calls I've endured over the years. Now if only I could find that memory key's protective rubber cap.
Built to Take a Beating
Photograph by Manuello Paganelli
To see what sorts of knocks these hardy machines could take, we looked at two ruggedized notebooks--the Getac M220 and the Panasonic Toughbook 29--both heavy, magnesium-alloy-clad models that resemble sturdy suitcases.
We had hoped to test standard notebooks from Apple and IBM that promise to park their hard drives during a fall, to protect your data. However, Apple wanted us to catch the notebook rather than let it fall to the ground, and we didn't think that would be an adequate test of its capabilities. IBM declined to participate in our review because the company was uncomfortable with our testing methodology.
To formulate our test plan, PC World Performance Analyst Tony Leung analyzed the U.S. military testing specification (MIL-STD-810F), which delineates how to test products that will be used in extreme conditions. We tested the laptops by powering them down and dropping them 3 feet onto carpet-covered concrete four times--on the front, back, top, and bottom. After each drop we booted them up to make sure they were functioning properly. We also poured 10 ounces of water on each keyboard.
Both notebooks sailed through our tests. After the Panasonic's final drop, its hard-drive connection came loose, and we had to reseat it for the system to return to normal and reboot. The Getac sustained some minor scratches to its handle, but it functioned fine. The water that we spilled on both models didn't affect them.
Both notebooks are designed to handle hard knocks. They each have sturdy port covers to protect all the connections and drives, as well as water-resistant touch screens and keyboards. The Getac has a 1.4-GHz Pentium M processor, 1GB of RAM, and a 14.1-inch screen, while the Panasonic has a 1.3-GHz Pentium M, 256MB of RAM, and a 13-inch screen. The extra toughness comes at the cost of added weight: Both models weigh over 9 pounds. And neither model is cheap: The Getac costs $3995, and the Panasonic costs $3848.
In the course of an ordinary day, most people don't need a ruggedized laptop. But if your work takes you into extreme conditions in which you're rough on your notebook, a ruggedized model would be worth the investment.
--Kalpana Ettenson
Protect Your Gear
Elvis Costello was right--accidents will happen. Here's how to minimize the damage.
Bag it: Place your products in a cushioned case or shock-absorbent travel bag. The secret is to make sure it has plenty of padding. Special compartments inside RoadWired's $50 Podzilla put every portable gizmo--PDA, cell phone, notebook--in its own place. The $34 Proporta case for the Treo 650 boasts a tough aluminum outside and a neoprene-cushioned inside.
Get protection: Just about every tech manufacturer offers some type of warranty and equipment-replacement program. For example, Sprint provides the PCS Total Equipment Protection service, which costs $5 per month and covers loss, theft, and accidental damage to your cell phone.
I Spilled on My Notebook!
After my notebook died, I talked to some experts to get tips on how to bring your laptop and data back from the dead after a spill.
1. Disconnect the battery: The faster you are, the less likely you'll burn out components.
2. Empty it out: Turn over the notebook and pour out as much liquid as possible.
3. Open it up: Remove the optical drive and keyboard. This can be tricky, so check your user manual for instructions. Once the laptop is open, use a towel to soak up as much liquid as possible. According to Herman De Hoop, HP's technical marketing manager, you can even use a hair dryer set on cool (not hot) to blow-dry the liquid.
4. Leave it alone: Let the laptop sit for at least 12 to 24 hours. Robert Enochs, IBM's worldwide product manager for the ThinkPad Series, warns that you should not turn the device on until all the liquid is gone and it's completely dry.
5. Plug-and-pray: Reassemble the notebook, and if it powers up, copy off important data, and then call the manufacturer. Even if the unit works, a professional cleaning is recommended.
6. Enter a recovery program: If things still aren't okay, you have one more option. For an average price of $900, data recovery services like DriveSavers can rescue data from drowned hard disks.
--M.C.