We’ve come across RuggedNotebooks.com, a supplier of laptop computers and PDAs to public and private users of data devices whose equipment must survive drops, immersion, humidity, sand, and extreme heat.  (MILSPEC 810F, effective, January 1, 2000).  ((We note that the standard is not classified,

although the data which may be stored on them is; if that were not the case, we would not discuss it in this forum. Because the MILSPEC standards are – for the most part – not classified – using the military’s procurement standards can be useful for non-military purchasers, in and out of government. There are soldiers whose job it is to throw expensive equipment off the roofs of buildings, into water tanks, and otherwise abuse them. We’re fairly sure, from reader feedback, that we’ve got at least a few readers, to whom this sounds like fun. We’re still happy to have them as readers, notwithstanding their unusual ideas of entertainment)). RuggedNotebooks makes  three models of rugged PDA – and for anyone who’s counting, that’s 50% more models of PDA than Hewlett-Packard makes (only two which are PDAs without phones) and three more than Palm (no non-phone PDAs).

In addition, RuggedNotebooks makes nine laptops and tablets to the same standard, and another line of “semi-rugged” devices. We’ll try to update with price and images later.