Motorola ML900 surplus?

Status
Not open for further replies.

kadetklapp

Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Messages
328
Location
Indiana
I've been hunting an inexpensive "tough" laptop for using to program my rigs and scanners on the go or just to have a "ruggedized" pc while traveling. I was looking at toughbooks but my price range was CF-28 range and everyone I talked to the Toughbook board said they weren't worth having. A guy on my department has a Motorola ML900 for sale. Touchscreen, backlit keyboard (all requirements for me), great display, broken left click button, dinged and scratched, and he wants $300 for it. I haven't been able to find out a whole lot. basically, it's 591MHz, 990MB or RAM, and has a 1.8GHz processor...whatever that means.

Anyway, anyone have any experience with these computers?
 

FFPM571

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 11, 2003
Messages
1,706
Location
Nashvillle
stick with a toughbook. Motorola discontinued the ML900 barely a year after releasing them. Every department that I have worked on that had them got rid of them.
 

kadetklapp

Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2007
Messages
328
Location
Indiana
Well that's a bummer.

I really like the computer, much more so than any Toughbook I've used. The Toughbooks I've worked with (three, at least, on a regular basis) are a mix of CF-28s and CF-29s, and they are horribly slow and crap out it seems very easily. This computer is sitting on my desk and I can actually mess with it, which is better than buying a sight-unseen CF28 of ebay for the same money. I can get the /\/\ for $250 and it needs a battery and the left click button fixed. The USBs seem to be working (although they are "low speed" drives), the touch screen works, the backlighting on the keyboard (Red in color, big improvement over the toughbook IMO) works and the software works.

However, parts availability is nil in the event something does go wrong.
 

dixie729

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 12, 2008
Messages
429
Location
Daviess Co., KY
I own a Motorola ML900, had it for a while, and it is reliable every time I need it. I program radios and use it on a regular basis in my truck. I've heard the same things about the "toughbooks" they are slow and crap. Check ebay if you are interested in the ML900.
 

datainmotion

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Jan 9, 2001
Messages
2,300
Location
Colorado
Hmmmm..."slow and crap" = dominated the rugged laptop market for the last 17 years? Don't think that assesment really holds water.
 

FFPM571

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Mar 11, 2003
Messages
1,706
Location
Nashvillle
I just bought a refurb CF29 on ebay with a new copy of XP 80g 1.5meg ram wifi and CD/DVD burner for $350 shipped with 30 day warrantee.. I needed something to program my Astro/astro 25 and CPS when my puppy pulled my old sony vaio off the table by the charging cord.. The toughbook is neither slow or crap.
 

BurkeComm-1

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2009
Messages
7
Location
Icard, N.C.
Motorola ML900

I have a Motorola ML900 I would be willing to sell for $250.00 including shipping. I have used it for a over a year to program radios. It has the backlit keyboard, touchscreen etc. The battery holds a charge sometimes and sometimes it doesn't. It has a home charger and I also have a Lind Vehicle charger that has only been used one time. It was over $100.00. The only real issue with it is I re-installed Windows XP on it, and every since I reinstalled Windows XP I can't get the wireless driver to install. I have a WIndows XP disk and a drivers disk for it. The Motorola ML900 Drivers are free to access online also. Let me know if your interested. Thanks
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top