Data 911

[Dave]

I just got done sitting in on a demo of a mobile PC made by Data 911. Very well built modular units that are designed from the ground up to work in a vehicle. Touch screen, GPS, USB, Firewire, PCMCIA, 802.11x, etc., etc. They will warranty them out to 10 years.

http://www.data911.com

Anyone have any first hand experience?

 

[Dave]

Went out to a site visit today at another local muni. They have been using the units in their patrol cars for many years now and had nothing but good things to say. Very strong, very durable, very user friendly.

From the passenger side, here is the keyboard and display:

The power supply that is mounted in the trunk:

The keyboard and display from the drivers side:

The display mount replaces the AM/FM radio in the Crown Vic's, the AM/FM is moved down to where the ash tray would be.

The PC is installed in the glove box, shown here with a Sprint cell card.

Higher res photos here. If you had the money to spend, they would probably make for a great expedition vehicle PC.

 

[stevenmd]

Very cool. Why must I have champagne tastes on a beer budget?:chowtime:

 

[Dave]

Very cool. Why must I have champagne tastes on a beer budget?:chowtime:

I think they list for $5900, that includes the mounts. That's not too far off from a Toughbook. Definitely something to consider if you don't need to take the PC out of the vehicle.

 

[Grim Reaper]

$499 laptop from Wally world is going to be nearly as powerful and then add in a Data card (that you still need for the Data 911). Jato mount and you are their and you can take it into your hotel room at night and watch DVD's I fail to see where that thing is worth the extra $5300 even if it is more durable.

I can buy a LOT of $499 computers every year when the warranty goes out f I dont buy the $70 2 year extended warranty and that would keep me current with software. I would have to buy new software every once in a while for that set up if it does last 5 years.

 

[Dave]

$499 laptop from Wally world is going to be nearly as powerful and then add in a Data card (that you still need for the Data 911). Jato mount and you are their and you can take it into your hotel room at night and watch DVD's I fail to see where that thing is worth the extra $5300 even if it is more durable.

No doubt, a cheap laptop is probably MORE powerful then a Data 911 unit when comparing specs. It's not designed to be used outside of the vehicle unless it's on the bench. For their target audience, buying a bunch of junk laptops that will fail constantly is not a good solution. Man hours will come into play, officer's will become frustrated, and IT departments will not make any friends. If this is the route we go, we'll be putting in a very small order of 28 units. Imagine trying to maintain 28 $500 laptops that are under constant use by LEO's in a Crown Vic. Now imagine trying to maintain 1000 of those laptops in the same circumstances. Not to mention there are a few features that are important to the target audience that the Data 911 unit does have and the $500 does not have.

Now, for the recreational/expedition vehicle, maybe it is a bit overkill. If I had the need for a computer in my personal vehicle, I think I would rather have something I can setup and not have to worry about rather then something that I will have to ********** foot around. Obviously others would rather not having something like that.

I can buy a LOT of $499 computers every year when the warranty goes out f I dont buy the $70 2 year extended warranty and that would keep me current with software. I would have to buy new software every once in a while for that set up if it does last 5 years.

Having to buy a LOT of computers isn't my idea of a reliable solution for the long run and you don't HAVE to buy new software all that often. Data 911 will extend the warranty out to 10 years (not five) if you choose to do that.

 

[Grim Reaper]

With the way computer processing and software evolves there is no way you will be able to keep one of those viable for 10 years without buying $500 software bundles every 2-3years. That still won't fix the slow processor.

I can respect the durability and its service but I can make 10 years on cheap laptops for $1800 if I keep buying the 2 year extended warranties for $70. It is WAY to much money for what it is. You can build something similar for under $1k not counting software. Guy local to me just did one recently. Has a touch screen mounted where the factory stereo went. Hooked into GPS, serves as controls fro his stereo and it looks factory. Has a wireless key board in the glove box and would easily compete with the Data911 on every level. Trying to find the link.

Here you go.
http://offcamber4wd.org/forum/index.php?topic=2810.0

No offence but with my tax money I would like to see you start bidding this out and get the price down becasue there are others out there making equiment that can compete for less money.

 

[Dave]

With the way computer processing and software evolves there is no way you will be able to keep one of those viable for 10 years without buying $500 software bundles every 2-3years. That still won't fix the slow processor.

Not all software evolves that quickly which means the processing needs also do not jump. Today we are running 8 year old Panasonic Toughbooks and would not be thinking about replacing them if the hardware was not worn out. It's not a matter of needing more horsepower, it's a matter of needing durable hardware. It's important to match the machine with the need and the need does not call for disposable hardware. Besides, when it is time to replace the Data 911's, all that needs to be replaced is the PC unit for under $2k. That is exactly what the site we visited yesterday was doing and according to them, that alone saved them six digits on their replacement costs compared to a Toughbook.

I can respect the durability and its service but I can make 10 years on cheap laptops for $1800 if I keep buying the 2 year extended warranties for $70. It is WAY to much money for what it is. You can build something similar for under $1k not counting software. Guy local to me just did one recently. Has a touch screen mounted where the factory stereo went. Hooked into GPS, serves as controls fro his stereo and it looks factory. Has a wireless key board in the glove box and would easily compete with the Data911 on every level. Trying to find the link.

Here you go.
http://offcamber4wd.org/forum/index.php?topic=2810.0

No offence but with my tax money I would like to see you start bidding this out and get the price down becasue there are others out there making equiment that can compete for less money.

Personally, I don't think the link you provided will fit the bill. There's not a lot of detail on the hardware used, but I can tell you right now that a 7" display would be all but useless for us.

Your upfront costs may be lower, but my staff and the officers on the road have more productive things to use their valuable man hours on then dealing with junk laptops that are falling apart every time they try to use them.

Four years ago we talked with a site in Tennessee that decided to go the same route you are proposing in their mobile units instead of using a Toughbook-esque solution. They bought off the shelf Dell laptops with accidental damage. At the time they admitted they were replacing laptops regularly but Dell stuck to their warranty and kept sending them parts or new laptops. I talked with them recently while looking into replacements for our own Toughbooks and they scrapped the plan after a few years due to the amount of time they were spending on fixing/replacing laptops, which also meant downtime in the cars themselves. Trust me, I'll be the first to admit that your plan looks real real good on paper and maybe for some places it is a workable solution, but from what I've seen, it just does not pan out.

By the way, tax dollars are not funding this project and no offense taken.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Not all software evolves that quickly which means the processing needs also do not jump. Today we are running 8 year old Panasonic Toughbooks and would not be thinking about replacing them if the hardware was not worn out. It's not a matter of needing more horsepower, it's a matter of needing durable hardware. It's important to match the machine with the need and the need does not call for disposable hardware. Besides, when it is time to replace the Data 911's, all that needs to be replaced is the PC unit for under $2k. That is exactly what the site we visited yesterday was doing and according to them, that alone saved them six digits on their replacement costs compared to a Toughbook.



Personally, I don't think the link you provided will fit the bill. There's not a lot of detail on the hardware used, but I can tell you right now that a 7" display would be all but useless for us.

Yes but it shows that it could be done a LOT cheaper. That guy was integrating it into a luxury car where the cosmetics were important but if looks were not important you can get a 14 inch touch screen. You could mount the screens on the visors to get them right where they can be glanced at as well. You can buy those cordless keyboards for $40-60.

I understand your argument about the durability but you can get nearly the durability for a fraction of the cost.

 

[Dave]

Yes but it shows that it could be done a LOT cheaper. That guy was integrating it into a luxury car where the cosmetics were important but if looks were not important you can get a 14 inch touch screen. You could mount the screens on the visors to get them right where they can be glanced at as well. You can buy those cordless keyboards for $40-60.

I understand your argument about the durability but you can get nearly the durability for a fraction of the cost.

I'm sorry but I just do not agree. My laptop is a basic off the shelf machine that sees daily use under ideal conditions and I can tell you there is no WAY it would hold up for any reasonable amount of time in the role of a mobile unit in a police cruiser or in a recreational/expedition vehicle. It wouldn't hold up to that because that is not what it is built for. It's a nice laptop, no special bells or whistles, just a solid business class laptop that I carry home and back to the office daily but I simply could not trust it in a situation like a police cruiser.

To me, the $40 keyboard is simply a band aid. We can throw band aids on the situation all day every day for the next five to ten years, but it's simply easier and more effective to do it right the first time. Set it and forget it rather then having to constantly revisit. And you can talk about cheap keyboards and warranties all day long, but I highly doubt the manufacturer is going to warranty that $40 keyboard when it comes back cracked in half by the hands of a frustrated LEO.

Like I said, your upfront costs may be cheaper, but down the road it would not be a cheaper solution when factoring in man hours, outages due to laptop failure, replacement parts, etc., etc. One other thing I did not mention is that we are being quoted a much lower price then the list price.

Do I expect the Data 911's to be completely problem free? Of course not. Do I think they will hold up to the abuse they will see better then a regular laptop will? Absolutely, no question about it. Do I think the officers and my employer will better served by spending the money upfront on a solution that is designed for this type of work? Absolutely, no question about it.