We’ve recently added a new Premier Partner to the family – Getac.
Like any new partner, questions like “Who’s Getac? What products do they offer? Where can I go to get more information?” come up from people calling in interested in learning more. So, we turn to our internal Getac product specialist to answer these questions and some others you may have.
Q: Alright to kick off this Q&A session, who is Getac?
A: Getac is a Taiwanese manufacturer of rugged notebooks and tablets. They have pretty solid roots in the States, though, with their US headquarters based in Irvine, California.
The company has been around since 1989 when GE Aerospace Group and MiTAC, an electronics manufacturer in Taiwan, came together to build a military-grade rugged notebook.
Until recently, they had a specialized focus on creating rugged laptops and tablets under military contract. But today they’re branching out to other industries, like law enforcement and manufacturing. The thought here is, “if it’s tough enough for militaries around the world, it’s tough enough to be in a patrol vehicle or manufacturing facility 24/7.”
Q: So rugged laptops and tablets… what are some standout features of Getac products?
A: These devices are tanks. As I said before, the thought behind Getac products is “if it’s good enough for the military, it’s good enough for me.” Not only are these devices rugged to start, but Getac offers the best bumper-to-bumper warranty on their fully-rugged devices in the industry.
And that just scratches the surface. Getac’s devices offer a huge list desirable features – hot swappable batteries, anti-glare screens, glove-compatible touch displays, 4G LTE AND WiFi capabilities, and it can even operate in -20 degree temperatures.
And a little fact I like to add in here when people ask about Getac products is that Getac is the world’s third-largest producer of magnesium alloy. Why? Because they make their clamshell chassis in-house. When they do their own manufacturing in-house to that extent, it makes their warranty that much more credible since they can repair and replace parts in-house rather than send devices under warranty to a third party for repairs.
Q: When someone looks at the Getac product families side-by-side, how can they know which device is right for them?
A: When someone calls and asks which device is the right fit for their needs, I immediately ask them 3 questions:
- Form factor – Do you need a laptop or a tablet?
- Environment and durability – Where will this be used and how durable do you need it to be?
- Compatibility – What features do you need to get the job done?
By answering these three questions we can determine what type of device, what family within that device type, and what configuration of that specific device is required, given the features needed.
There’s hundreds of different SKUs for each product family, but that shouldn’t scare anyone away from going Getac. The SKUs are just different configurations of the features inside the device. GPS or no GPS? Intel i5 or Intel i7 processor? That gets down in the nitty-gritty details that will eventually get ironed out, but answering those 3 questions will filter down the product selection pretty well.
And even if someone can’t decide if they need a laptop or tablet, Getac offers the V110 fully-rugged convertible notebook that can swivel down from a notebook to tablet.
Q: What would someone use a Getac laptop or tablet for? Why not just a regular, commercial-grade device?
A: A common environment I often refer to is the inside of a patrol vehicle. No, there aren’t explosions, dust, or extreme temperatures in the patrol vehicle (hopefully) like there may be in a military environment. But the vehicle constantly vibrates while running, which can cause an issue for commercial-grade devices. That constant vibration often causes non-rugged devices to loosen their parts and break down, reducing their lifespan. That means they’re constantly replaced after a couple of years. Rugged devices like Getac’s B300 Fully-rugged notebook don’t have that issue since they’re built with durability in mind. To take it a step further, Getac’s fully-rugged devices are tested to military standards, which includes testing of being dropped onto concrete, high and low pressure tests, sudden extreme temperature shocks, humidity variations, and more.
This video’s a bit dated, but it shows the B300 undergoing the vibration test – one of the many tests Getac runs on their products.
Plus, even if a Getac laptop or tablet does succumb to the environment, the bumper-to-bumper warranty provided covers everything from screen cracks to motherboard failures.
Q: What other products are often used with Getac’s rugged notebooks and tablets?
A: One thing often overlooked with Getac tablets is the trade-off of not having a keyboard. Yes, the tablets are touchscreen, but you’ll probably want a physical keyboard from time to time.
iKey keyboards are the usual go-to keyboards when using a Getac tablet. Not only are they one of our partners, but Getac actually recommends iKey keyboards on their website. These keyboards are just about as durable as the Getac device itself.
Another product often used with Getac laptops and tablets is some kind of data input device like a barcode scanner. Manufacturing facilities may use an industrial-grade 2D barcode scanner like Honeywell’s Granit 1910. Law enforcement often use our 4910LR Driver’s License Scanner to automatically input motorist information for electronic citations.
And also with law enforcement, officers will need a way to mount the Getac device to the vehicle, which is where Havis’s mounts, docking stations, and cradles come into play. They have mounts and docks specific to Getac products to keep the device in place at all times.
Q: Where can someone go to get more information on Getac and their products?
A: While we have company and product information spelled out on our Getac microsite, anyone can call us directly at (800) 830-9523 to discuss Getac products specifically for their application.
There you have it – the questions you may have paired with answers straight from a Getac product specialist. For other questions, quotes, and more insight on Getac’s rugged notebooks and tablets, give us a call at (800) 830-9523 or email us at info@L-Tron.com.
