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Second-gen ruggedized Latitude from Dell.

(Credit: Dell)

Dell is back with a slimmed down version of its fully rugged 14-inch laptop.

Like the company itself, the XFR's second-gen improvements on the device are incremental and in some cases, slightly experimental. The E6400 XFR is the name of what used to be the Latitude XFR D630. The laptop gets an internal tuneup, boasting better processing power (Intel Core2Duo), discrete graphics enabled by better cooling. The new XFR also keeps most of its original features: touch screen, a solid-state drive, mobile broadband, GPS, and long battery life. In this case, Dell says an additional battery pack will keep the laptops going for up to 13 hours.

The XFR is strengthened by a new exterior material the PC maker is calling Ballistic Armor, which replaces the magnesium alloy used in its other laptops. It's allowed the machine to be trimmed down--it's now 8.5 pounds instead of 9 pounds--and also strengthened: it meets military specifications for ruggedness and can withstand a 4-foot drop rather than 3.

Ballistic Armor was developed by a partner company and licensed exclusively to Dell. It's a hybrid, nonmetal polymer designed to better absorb shocks and withstand the elements. That Dell is experimenting with different materials is intended to signal its willingness to try new things and focus on creating different options for targeted customers.

In this case, that's military contractors, government, and utility company field workers, law enforcement, and other groups that are not known for being particularly gentle with their computers.

It happens every time. The mainsail cover is off, and it's freshening nicely. Then the boss calls begging you to get online and placate one of her key accounts. Luckily, she's seen fit to spring for the fully salt/fog-certified B300 ruggedized notebook.

What distinguishes this rugged, watertight, vibration- and drop-shock resistant PC--besides the sealed ports and connector cover--is the finish. According to manufacturer Getac, it protects everything from hinges to the keyboard to the electrical innards from salty corrosion, thus allowing you to telecommute from deck to dune.

(Credit: Getac)

The B300 was recently certified under standards set by the Department of Defense MIL-STD-810F - 509.4, according to Getac. Certification consists of 24 hours exposure to a 5 percent salt/fog mix, and 24 hours to dry off. Then it's back into the chamber for another 24 hours, 5 percent exposure, and so on for 4 days total. (Watch a video of a water sprinkler hosing down the keyboard.)

"Salt is one of the most aggressive chemical compounds in the world," said Getac President Jim Rimay. "Salt will quickly corrode a computer's exterior (and) impair vital electrical system functions. The B300 addresses these issues with its salt/fog certification and elevates it to an elite status among ruggedized computers for safe and uninterrupted operation in any location, especially in coastal regions of the world."

The B300 includes Giga LAN and 802.11a/g/n; Bluetooth 2.0, EV-DO and optional GPRS/EDGE networks, and integrated GPS, plus a number of security features like a fingerprint scanner and optional smart-card reader.

Also helpful for catching up--the B300's super-bright 1200 NITS screen with optional night vision and the 12 hour battery life.

At just over $3,000 retail you can pick up an extra one to stash in the trunk with your wetsuit.

(Credit: Logic Instrument)

Logic Instrument got FCC approval nearly two years ago for its "Tetra T-Pad" rugged smartphone, but not much has been heard about it since then. Perhaps the French manufacturer thought better of trying to sell a phone that costs about $2,600 on the American market.

That's the price tag Lussorian quotes for this steroidal handset, which it says has met U.S. military standards that require 25 tests involving the harshest conditions. Weighing just under 1.3 pounds, the T-Pad is dustproof, waterproof, and can withstand shock, vibration, and subzero temperatures. As for the phone specs, it has a 4-inch touch screen, a 400MHz Intel processor, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

Features aside, it's difficult to see how the price can be justified--especially when there so many other tough phones being produced, some of them bearing the National Security Agency's seal of approval. Those handsets, by the way, are made in the U.S.A.

(Credit: Stealth Computer)

A Canadian company that goes by the apt name of Stealth Computer is determined to bring military-grade specs to consumer gear. A few months back it came out with its "TuffTouch" monitor, a 17-inch touch-screen LCD encased in aluminum alloy for harsh conditions, and now it has a big brother.

The latest model in Stealth's SV-2400 "Industrial Grade" line is a full 24 inches of ruggedized goodness, fortified in steel casing. The steroidal screen has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels and 160-degree viewing angles.

Most important to the survivalist set, it can withstand "water, dust and dirt intrusion and performs well beyond ordinary commercially available monitors," according to the company, and is ideal for "human machine interface" applications. Which could be a good thing when your robot is having a bad day and taking it out on the equipment.

(Credit: iKey)

The people at iKey (not to be confused with IKEA) clearly have some sort of James Bond complex. Last fall they debuted a keyboard made for night-vision goggles, and now they've come out with a model that supposedly can endure the harshest environments. (What's up with all these survivalist keyboards, anyway?)

The DT-5K-MEM-TP, whose name perhaps intentionally sounds like an encrypted message, is an "industrial membrane" keyboard that's made with a "hard-coated, textured polyster film" that supposedly puts silicon keypads to shame. It also bears the distinction of being NEMA 4X-certified, which the company says "means it can withstand directed hose water, disinfectants, environmental contaminants, and heavy industrial use."

The keyboard is also handy for those occasional underwater missions, as seawater won't seep into it because all the keys and its Synaptics touchpad are completely sealed. Which, by the way, makes it much easier to clean after spilling Cheetos crumbs and Red Bull on it all hours of the day and night.

(Credit: Crave UK)

Crave has often mused on the pathetic flimsiness of modern gadgetry. But in a world where waterproof means splashproof and ruggedized means you'd better not drop it, there's all the more reason to celebrate tech that just won't die.

Whatever the reason for its survival, the technology we've collected here deserves enormous credit. It's coped with years of abuse and thousands of meters of cumulative drops, but it continues to operate as well as it did on the day it emerged from the factory. Click here to view the collection.

(Source: Crave UK)

(Credit: Stealth Computer)

A lot of computer gear these days seems to be following the Hummer/SUV trend of the auto industry from the early '90s: the bigger and tougher the better. We've seen, for example, military-grade laptops, keyboards, and even nuke-proof USB drives. So why should LCDs be left out?

Specialty equipment maker Stealth Computer plans to fill that void with the "TuffTouch," a 17-inch touch-screen monitor encased in aluminum alloy for "harsh environment applications," according to the company. The 1,280x1,024 monitor can also be ordered with a built-in "Little PC"--and it's available in custom colors, for all you fashion-conscious survivalists.

(Credit: Acturion Datasys)

From Bavaria here's a new, "ruggedized" military-spec notebook PC with a keyboard that converts to a touch-screen, tablet PC in seconds by flipping the display 180 degrees and pressing down.

The magnesium alloy housing (4.85 pounds with battery) is completely sealed making it splash-proof, according to Acturion Datasys. (Even the integrated speaker is waterproof.) Since there are no fans, processor heat is distributed directly to the housing, which doubles as radiator.

Two models are available--the Victum-Note V10 (10.4-inch XGA display) and the Victum-Note V12 (WXGA 12.1-inch). Both come with sunlight-readable displays and work off a Intel Core Dual Processor Yonah U2500.

Options include Bluetooth, built-in 1.3MP CCD camera, GPS receiver for satellite navigation and a couple of different modems. Windows XP Pro or Windows Vista comes pre-installed. Linux should be available soon, according to the company. To qualify for military standard certification a PC must undergo temperature testing (minus-4 Fahrenheit to 131 Fahrenheit), plus withstand a 3-foot drop onto a concrete slab and continue to drive on.

Is it too late to do something about that name? Who wants to Farfegnugen a Victum around the battlefield.