Must I use a rugged computer for outside use e.g. in a car?
This depends on a number of factors – your application, who owns the machine – the user or the company, how much it is used outside the office, how harsh the outside environment (weather, rain, snow, etc) is, how many people use the same machine, possibility of dropping it on the ground, how much care do you expect your users to take of the machine, cost of the machine and more. In some cases, employing a ruggedized computer is well worth the extra cost, especially for public safety, route accounting, factory floor applications and applications in the field. Please remember the total cost of ownership is much more than the bare cost of the device.
