Over its lifespan Panasonic's Toughbook series has become one of the most notorious and well received rugged notebook offerings, but building such an iconic product line is all about innovation so the latest Toughbook S9 comes as the world's lightest 12.1-inch laptop with a DVD drive, adding portability to its already impressive feature set.

And don't you doubt for a second the Toughbook S9 had to give up on ruggedness in order to become this light since this magnesium alloy laptop can withstand more then 220 lbs (100 kg) of pressure, survive 30 inch drops while operating as well as being protected against liquid spills.

Data security is also addressed, the Toughbook S9 coming with a trusted platform module (TPM) security chip, the Computrace theft protection agent in the BIOS, Intel Anti-Theft technology, a cable lock slot as well as an optional fingerprint reader.

Hardware wise, the S9 packs a 12.1" widescreen 1280x800 display together with a Intel Core i5-520M processor and 2GB RAM, connectivity being also top notch thanks to 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 and an optional Gobi2000 broadband modem.

"Increased workforce mobility can improve efficiency and drive profit as long as the mobile device on which your business depends does not become a burden to your IT department," said Kyp Walls, director of product management, Panasonic Solutions Company.

"The only way to ensure you maximize your mobile computer investment is to purchase a device with proven reliability.

The Toughbook brand has an average annual failure rate in the low single digits, while most commercial-grade laptops have double digit failure rates.

Not only will the new Toughbook S9 provide exceptional reliability, it will also deliver the light weight, long battery life, connectivity and performance needed to satisfy the most demanding mobile users."

The Panasonic Toughbook S9 is available in the United States at an estimated street price of $2,499, so this isn't a cheap notebook by any means, although there aren't so many choices when you are in need of a highly-portable, rugged laptop.