The Durabook D14RA has what might be called stealth ruggedness: It looks pretty average on the outside, except for its black rubber corners, and even carries an ordinary, affordable price tag of $1,299. But inside is a semi-rugged notebook that can handle more than its share of knocks, drops, and splatters. If you’re willing to deal with below-average battery life and low-end graphics, this system is worth considering. Some of the ruggedness comes from the Durabook’s magnesium-alloy case. The physical design should satisfy just about all users. The spill-resistant keyboard is well laid-out and has a nice feel, but we’re not fans of the shrunken Enter, Backspace, and right Shift keys. The power button is a bit small for such a frequently used control. Right next to it is a small, illuminated button that turns on the Wi-Fi adapter. The touchpad was responsive but doesn’t have a scroll area. Because the battery occupies the rear panel, all of the connectors are on the sides, including two USB 2.0 ports and a serial port. Two pleasant surprises are a volume control knob near the speaker connector, which is much easier to use than the buttons on most other notebooks; and a well-cushioned carrying case bundled with the notebook—a rare option, especially for such a reasonably priced machine. According to Twinhead, the Durabook passed the simulated MIL-STD-810F (Mil Spec) drop test, consisting of repeated drops onto plywood over concrete from 29 inches, which is standard desk height. In addition to the shock-mounted hard drive, Twinhead added a unique optical disk tray lock that keeps this sensitive component from accidentally opening during a severe shock. Our tested configuration was equipped with a 1.8-GHz AMD Turion 64 MT-34 mobile processor. The MobileMark 2005 score of 227 is seven points above average. The VIA S3G UniChrome Pro IGP graphics were disappointing, to say the least. The Durabook could run only one of the four 3DMark03 tests, garnering an unacceptable score of 107. Wireless performance was also low for any class of machine, hitting only 7.7 and 8.7 Mbps of throughput at 15 and 50 feet, respectively. Don’t expect to work too long unplugged. The Durabook lasted only 2 hours and 53 minutes with the standard six-cell battery. This is about 35 minutes less than average. However, you can purchase a nine-cell battery for $169, which should increase that endurance to at least four hours. This system doesn’t stay very quiet while unplugged, either; the cooling fan was too loud for our liking. On the plus side, we were pleased to see 1GB of memory and the fast, though not huge, 7,200-rpm, 60GB hard drive. And while the 3DMark03 scores didn’t pan out, the 14.1-inch LCD looked good indoors, even if it couldn’t compete with direct sunlight. We also appreciate the 8X DVD+/-RW dual-layer optical drive. The $1,299 price includes a two-year warranty. The only catch is that this does not include 24/7 technical support; the toll-free number is open only during West Coast business hours. Our tested configuration included Power DVD Suite and Microsoft Works 8.5. The Durabook’s best selling point is its rock-bottom price. Typically, semi-rugged notebooks cost well above $2,000. Not so with the Durabook, which trades graphics performance and endurance for durability and good productivity performance. If all you need is e-mail and basic functionality on the go, and if you’re a klutz or do a lot of work out of the office, the Durabook may be the notebook for you.