Military Standard: Testing Rugged Laptops

Ruggedized laptops that meet the government's military specification MIL-STD-810 standard must be able to withstand some punishment. The standard establishes a series of tests that require the computer withstand extreme weather conditions.

The computer must survive a three-foot drop onto a simulated floor of plywood-covered concrete. The spec also requires the computer be subjected to 50-mph blown sand and rain.

As explained in POLICE Magazine's May 2009 "First Look" feature on the Latitude E6400 XFR, Dell upped the ante. We've added the Dell video showing the fire-hose test.

Panasonic's Toughbook CF-30 has also had testers who've tried to break its spirit, such as this video review showing the notebook surviving a water dump and a vehicle rolling over it:

We've also put up a photo gallery of five ruggedized computers built for law enforcement and other safety personnel.