Another advantage that the laptops have is the ability to make the transition from office to field and back again more easily than pen computers. This makes their purchase easier to justify, as they are truly multi-use computers. That edge is being lost, though, as more pen computer manufacturers offer docking stations and port replicators to facilitate office connectivity and data transfer and analysis. Although most rugged laptops now provide the convenience of touch-screen capability common to pen computers, they can be a bit unwieldy in the field due to their weight and form. For most field data collection projects, a pen computer confers significant advantages in portability and ease of use.
Prices range from hundreds to several thousand dollars, depending on configuration.
One solution is to wear, rather than carry, the computer. It has all of the features of the standard ViA II, but is housed in a machined aluminum casing that is resistant to impact damage and temporary immersion. It also provides a solid-state IDC Flashdrive to reduce the risk of drive failure due to shock, impact or vibration. The SunScreen PC case is made of aluminum with an outer rubber shell. The unit is sealed, and all connections are made through a single data port via a waterproof connector.