LaCie’s LaCinema Rugged was announced late last month for those across the ocean, which left us Americans wondering if we would ever get to see it here in the US. Sure enough, here it is, in time for the holidays. LaCie has announced US pricing and availability for the bulked up multimedia drive, and you can get one right now starting at $199.99.

Sizes include 250GB, 320GB and 500GB. It’s rugged in name and rubberized build. Great for the media enthusiast who plans to throw their gear around the room and do all kinds of crazy “Will it still work” tests.

JLT has released a new rugged tablet PC focused on the field work sector. It is called the JLT8404 and no specific pricing information is available as of yet.

The JLT8404  has a housing which is aluminum powder coated. It has been tested to survive multiple drops, higher operating temperatures and more. It sports a 8.4-inch SVGA screen which is daylight viewable and runs Microsoft Windows as its operating system.

Rugged computers seem to be growing in popularity. People want them on their construction sites,explorers want them for their Indiana Jones thing and others just need a PC that is safe from abuse. That’s why NEC rolled out a new tablet PC for its rugged line of computers, which are built Tonka tough. The new NEC ShieldPRO FC-N22A tablet , which is made for the Japanese market is now available.

The rugged ShieldPro tablet features a low-voltage Intel Core 2 Duo U7500 (1.06GHz). The 12.1-inch tablet offers a bright widescreen LED display (750 cd/m2) and boasts a battery life that can last up to 12 hours. The ShieldPro is specially designed to stand up to the worst conditions, offering protection against dust and water, and can even be operated under heavy rainfall. Besides, its outer case is super durable, it can stand up to a drop of 90 cm on a concrete floor, without breaking it.