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PDA built to take the beating it deserves

At $2,000, it's ripe for abuse.

Tripod Data Systems

Does anyone remember the PDA? You know, that thing people used to carry around before BlackBerries, Treos and most mobile phones made since 2003? A few of them may be tucked away in a Members Only jacket somewhere in the closet (buried, we hope).

If any of them are still in use, they may be easy targets for schoolyard bullies like the iPhone. Perhaps that's why one of the surviving models, the "Recon 200X" from Tripod Data Systems, comes with its own body armor--to avoid serious injury when getting beaten up by the bigger kids. Although specs for the Windows Mobile 5 device are nothing special, according to Coolest-Gadgets, it does have meet military standards for "drops, vibrations and temperature extremes."

We were almost willing to give it a pass until we saw the price: $2,000. That means it deserves whatever beating it's sure to get.