The DuraCOR 810 is a little expensive, but if you need to drop a computer into your military or aerospace vehicle, you are probably more concerned with mission survivability than cost. And the DuraCOR 810 survived everything we threw at it.
The GCN Lab tests eight rugged devices ― from phones and cameras to laptop PCs and vehicle-mounted computers ― that are fit for military and other tough assignments.
Even though the Toughbook 30 is a bit of an anchor, it’s the most rugged laptop in this roundup, suffering not a scratch in all our testing. If you absolutely, positively have to make sure your data and apps survive, the Toughbook 30 is the way to go.
If you need a rugged camera or rugged phone, there are better options. But if you need a hybrid that can do both fairly well, the Casio Exilim won’t disappoint.
Microsoft's Windows 7 has been touted as a new, better-running operating system. But despite the addition of a few handy features, the GCN Lab finds that it looks just like the Vista OS, has a lot of the same annoying quirks as Vista and delivers no difference in performance from Vista.
3M’s SCP716 projector falls short in ease of use; offers intuitive software but has a confusing setup.
The Intel X25-M Mainstream Serial ATA SSD offers reliable and fast performance at a steep, but decreasing, cost.
The HP Z400 Workstation delivers a lot of power for the workstation user, with plenty of room for future upgrades.
The HL-4070 is a great way to add adequate and reasonably fast color printing to your office. And it’s more than worth the low price, making it the best value in the review.
If you mostly work in black and white, the KX-MC6040 might be a good choice for a slightly below-average printer that comes with an extra scanner and fax machine. But you can’t rely on it for color images, especially darker ones.
The B-500DN is inexpensive and performs well for most office tasks. If you print photographs and use photographic paper, it’s the obvious choice.
If you need a speedy, accurate printer and are willing to pay a little more for it, the CP3525x is the one that should race into your agency. It earns a Reviewer’s Choice for this roundup.
The Phaser 6280 produces excellent colors and fast text printing but is painfully slow in printing complex color graphics.
The GCN Lab tests six network color printers for speed, reliability and accuracy to see which one should grace the halls of your agency.
The Lexmark C734dn is the top all-around performer in this review. Coupled with a great government price, it’s the reliable and accurate color printer that most people will want to see in their agencies.