This one is designed to be the Hummer among laptops. Developed by Itronix, a General Dynamics company (known for their F-16 fighter jet), the GoBook XR-1 laptop is expected to debut this month.

Sleek and light, yet rugged enough to withstand extreme rough handling, the GoBook keeps going even with exposure to heat, dust, shocks, toxic substances and even sub-zero temperatures. And what is interesting is that the GoBook is designed to accomplish all this without any compromise on the performance.

The GoBook uses the latest Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz processor and has an impressive form-factor that makes it the lightest and smallest fully rugged notebook available (it weighs a mere 6.8 pounds and measures 11.8 x 9.65 x 1.97 inches). The other add-on features are its wide-ranging wireless capabilities (WLAN, WWAN, Bluetooth and GPS), a dedicated external graphics controller, glow-in-the-dark keys and optional backlit keyboard to improve keyboard viewing in low light conditions, and 40GB or 80GB HDD options. Moreover, for security reasons, the hard drives are designed to be removable, and you can also attach an optional fingerprint scanner and smart card for password entry.

This rugged beast will set you back by a cool $4300, which places it in a niche category. If the pricing were lower, the GoBook might have looked forward to a greater share of the laptop market. However, the GoBook has been primarily designed for defence personnel. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a really rugged laptop, then make sure you definitely review this one – if your wallet is rugged enough, that is.