's Vaio was notable for its magnesium alloy case, which makes it feel tough even if the keyboard was designed for child-size hands.

CNN: What's cool at Comdex

It features a durable magnesium alloy case and with a 300MHz Pentium II brain and 64MB RAM, it is as powerful and compatible as most desktop computers.

CNN: Gadget gift ideas for last minute shoppers

Its magnesium alloy case and shock-mounted flex-connect hard drive allow it to handle up to a 30-inch drop to six sides, as well as a 12-inch drop from 26 angles.

ENGADGET: Panasonic introduces new Toughbook C2 convertible tablet with Windows 8 Pro for $2,949

Going beyond the MIL-STD-810G certification with the ability to withstand a six-foot drop, and with a shock-mounted hard drive, magnesium alloy case and UL1604 Class I Division 2 certification, this mobile computer is optimized to operate in hazardous and mission-critical environments.

ENGADGET: Panasonic Toughbook 19 gets Core i5 grunt to match its grizzled visage

The Toughbook SX2 is designed to withstand a highly mobile work environment, Its magnesium alloy case and shock-mounted flex-connect hard drive allow it to handle up to a 30-inch drop to the base of the unit while operating, as well as a 12-inch drop from all other angles.

ENGADGET: Panasonic releases the Toughbook SX2, a laptop that'll take no prisoners at the quarterly conference

The unit is packaged in a magnesium alloy top-and-bottom case that is 20 times stronger than ABS plastic.

ENGADGET: GammaTech rugged T7Q launches at $2k and up, promptly steals your iPad's lunch money

The new device is expected to have a bigger screen, a smaller charging dock and a case made from an alloy called LiquidMetal.

CNN: Apple design chief: We nearly scrapped iPhone