Ruggedised tablet PCs were brought to my attention twice last week.

First came the local launch of Panasonic's new Toughbook range, which includes the CF-19 convertible tablet and the CF-08 slate-style wireless display.

The CF-19 looks generally similar to other tablets on the market, though boxier - but that's a small price to pay for its ability to survive a 0.9m drop (even though that's "in non-operating condition") and resistance to dust and water. It's not cheap at over $6000, but you are getting a Core Duo CPU, long battery life and a swag of other features as well as the durability.

Panasonic's Toughbook CF-19 ruggedised tablet PC

The idea behind the CF-08 is an interesting one. It's essentially a rugged, wireless, hand-held, touch-screen Windows terminal. It can be used with a terminal server in retail, hospitality, banking, medical and similar environments, for example to take orders from people in a queue at a fast food outlet. Alternatively - and I thought this was the interesting bit - people working in the field under adverse conditions can leave their notebooks nearby in a relatively safe spot and just carry the 1.2kg CF-08 to the workplace where they access the notebook via Remote Desktop Connection.

Although Panasonic has the largest global market share for ruggedised computers (local customers include Coca Cola Amatil and Telstra), a couple of days later I learned of a deal the company didn't win. Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies chose Motion Computing's LE1600 tablet for use by their field technicians who monitor drinking water and wastewater services across Australia.

While the LE1600 has a carbon fibre and magnesium alloy shell, Motion doesn't appear to make any specific claims for ruggedness. Veolia did consider an unspecified Panasonic Toughbook model, but its decision was presumably made before the CF-19's arrival.

The point is that practically every buying decision involves some tradeoffs. More rugged usually means more expensive. Faster processing and brighter screens may result in reduced battery life. Larger screens typically lead to a bigger, heavier device.

The expression "one size fits all" is no more true for IT gear than it is for garments.