For those who need portable PC able to withstand serious abuse Dell has now officially rolled out the smallest 12.1-inch rugged convertible tablet featuring multi-touch capabilities. Dubbed Latitude XT2 XFR, the rough and tough machine weights 2.45 kg with a 4-cell battery and an SSD, has compression-sealed and rugged I/O doors, LCD, and keyboard, and is shock, dust and moisture resistant.

The new Latitude packs a 12.1-inch touchscreen with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, a 1.6 GHz Core Duo ULV SU9600 CPU, up to 5GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD or 64/128GB SSD, GMA 4500MHD integrated graphics, a 8x DVD writer, a multi-gesture touchpad, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi, 3G and also Bluetooth.

"The Latitude XT2 XFR is more than a laptop, it's a key part of our mobile command and data-center solutions for field service, defense and first-responder customers," said Paul Bell, president, Dell Global Public-Sector Business. "These unique solutions, coupled with our service model, make those communities more effective, enabling them to focus on their core missions instead of managing technology."

Dell's tablet also boasts a fingerprint reader, a Smart Card reader, a 3 megapixel webcam, a 4-, 6- or 9-cell battery, and can be loaded with Windows Vista Business or Windows 7 (Professional or Ultimate).

The Latitude XT2 XFR is backed by a three-year warranty, has a starting price of $3,599 and can be purchased via this page.