Dell rolled out a redesigned, fully-rugged laptop that the company claims can withstand hurricanes. The Latitude XFR series made its debut about a year ago, and now it's getting a whole new body treatment. Dubbed "Ballistic Armor", the rigid material is made out of a polymer hybrid used commonly in cryogenics and the automotive industry, and Dell claims exclusive rights to it. In addition to adhering to the MIL-STD-810F testing protocols-- 3 foot drops, extreme temperature treatments, and high dust and moisture levels-- Dell went ahead and kicked it up a notch. The newly minted XFR is now rated for 4 foot drops and can survive water jetting into it at 50MPH.

Jump to see more specs.....

Other cool design features include a single Quadcool fan (at the base of the system) that pulls heat from a series of metal pipes that run through the motherboard, and a hard drive (SSD or HDD) that's protected in three layers. And like almost every fully rugged laptop, a carrying handle, equipped with Zinc anchors, is fused with the XFR's front bezel. Naturally, with an outdoor machine, you'll need an outdoor screen. The 14-inch LED widescreen is different from a typical one in that it's three times as bright (750 cd/m2 ) and uses a special anti-reflective surface. It even features a resistive touch screen option, so that your fingers can do the walking in times when they're needed.

Features are basically the same as the Dell Latitude E6400--the non-rugged version. You get the gamut of connectivity ports, including three USB, Firewire, E-SATA, ExpressCard slot, and a multi-media card reader. In addition, wireless technologies such as WWAN, WLAN, and Bluetooth, and a SIM card reader are also present. Also present is an illuminated keyboard, which is one thing no outdoor laptop should be without.

The Latitude E6400 XFR starts at $4,200, and it ships today.