Forbes takes on ruggedized laptops

With laptop computers now outselling desktops, a lot of people will soon be learning what we've known for years: if you bought it, you'll break it. One fall from a too-small Starbucks table, out of an open briefcase, or from your slippery fingers, and that $2,000 ultralight is a piece of worthless ultratoast. Fortunately, the computer industry has a solution: ruggedized laptops, designed for users whose work takes them into dangerous places like construction sites and war zones. Forbes' Arik Hesseldahl took a look at a two of these — Panasonic's Toughbook 29 and the Itronix GoBook III — to see how well they meet the needs of regular, but butterfingered, computer users. His conclusion: they took a licking and kept on ticking. Of course, all that toughness comes at a cost, both in terms of size (these tanks weigh about 8 pounds) and price (expect to pay at least $4,000). Still, if you've trashed a few Vaios and Librettos in your day, you may want to consider one of these; as a bonus, you can also use them to bludgeon anyone who might try to steal it from you.