By David Wallace

In portable devices, "Rugged" could be the new black—the next big thing. From notebook computers to cell phones, you can expect to hear all about features like durability, dependability and even water-resistance.

Everyone knows you should keep electronics away from water, but there must be a reason for items like the Casio G-Zone, a cell phone capitalizing on Casio's G-Shock watches or a "rugged and waterproof" USB flash drive called the DataTraveler Secure from Kingston Technology. The flash drive can work in temperatures from freezing to 140 degrees, according to its maker.

Even if your travels aren't quite so extreme, there are good reasons behind the trend. Manufacturers are looking for ways to distinguish their products and charge a premium. And technologies are becoming more widely-used, and more portable so more likely to suffer a drop, a spill or other damage.

And technology is adapting. Instead of spinning magnetic disks in computers or some MP3 players, flash-based hard drives that use chips are gaining popularity and reduce the chance of damage. Flash drives have survived three-foot drops, and worse.

Panasonic, which owns the "Toughbook" trademark has retooled its police/military computers for road warriors. The company is trying to break into the Top 5 ranks of laptop sellers by showing off its magnesium cases, shock-mounted hard drives and other features. This year, Panasonic began advertising the lightweight "business-rugged" and "semi-rugged" models—compared with "fully rugged" kits that now make up 60 percent of sales in law enforcement, construction and other high-impact work.

Evan Silbert recalled the sensation created by Motorola's Razr phone, which led to a thin-craze. He says consumers still want smaller and lighter and he doesn't expect that durability will be a selling point, outside of industries that absolutely require it. People trade in phones, laptops and other items so quickly and mobile phone companies offer new models every few months, he notes.

"I doubt it will become a trend—small and thin just doesn't get along well with rugged and thin is still in the lead," says Silbert, whose Boston company, Warlox Wireless, equips travelers with mobile devices. Then again, if you are buying laptops for your teenaged school children, rugged certainly has its advantages.

Whether your devices are delicate or rugged, they need wireless service. And Wi-Fi from iPass can get you hooked up to high-speed connections in more than 80,000 locations worldwide. And it won't matter if you're using a Wi-Fi smart phone or a flyweight notebook computer.