ACME Introduces 17 inch Rugged Portable

By DE Editors

ACME Portable Machines, Inc.(Azusa, CA) says its EMP 370 is a large-scale rugged portable computerwith a 17-inch non-glare screen, detachable 108-key keyboard, and sevenopen card slots. Built around a shock-resistant aluminum lunchbox-stylecase, the EMP 370 is said to be the essence of user functionality.

According to a press release, in addition to its large keyboard andscreen, the system provides dual cooling fans, two 5.25-in. and two3.5-in. bays for shock-isolated disks, CD, or DVD drives, and space forseven full-length PCI, ISA, or PCI/ISA expansion cards. A Genesis 5621analog-to-digital conversion board is already included, mated to theATX backboard. A 10-key pad and fingertip mousepad are part of thepackage. Overall dimensions are just 13 1/2 in. X 17 in. X 9.5 in.

The EMP 370 is designed for field service applications where laptopcomputers are not flexible enough. These include geophysical dataacquisition, law enforcement forensic (CSI) work, factory floor, forestservice, and fire, and medical emergency applications, among otherswhere performance and ruggedness are equally important. An amplifiedspeaker is included for in-field presentations. The standard 17-inchscreen comes with tempered anti-glare glass but can be replaced with anoptional transflective sunlight-readable LCD for making presentationsin bright daylight.

Price: $3,799 (to start). For more information and full specifications, visit acmeportable.com.

Sources: Press materials received from the company. Additional information gleaned from the company’s website.