Hasta La Gadget!

Okay, I made that part about gorillas up, but it’s easy to forget the usefulness of Gorilla Glass. A lot of the smartphones and tablet people use everyday are covered in this durable material. That’s one of the reasons that the screen on your phone won’t break if you drop inadvertently. Granted, it won’t protect your phone from any drops, but I’ve been quite happy at how scratch-resistant it is.

And while it’s not actually shatterproof, Gorilla Glass is far more durable than ordinary glass. Now, Corning has revealed that a new version, simply called Gorilla Glass 3. The new glass will be unveiled at CES 2013 and it’s supposed to be even more durable than the previous generation.

There are already many devices covered in Gorilla Glass 2, and I’m hopeful that most of the ones I use next year will be covered in Gorilla Glass 3, assuming that it really does make them less likely to crack and shatter.

In the Android tablet realm there are plain and boring tablets that might not survive even the most gently of falls, and then there are those that can take a beating and still work. Getac has unveiled what it claims to be the world’s most rugged Android tablet aimed at use in extreme work environments. If Q ever gave James Bond an Android tablet, the Z710 would be it.

The tablet uses Getac’s LumiBond technology that combines a glove-friendly touchscreen display with a Gorilla Glass screen, a capacitive touch sensor, and an LED backlit panel. The technology gives touch sensitivity even while wearing gloves and allows the tablet to be extremely durable. The tablet measures 8.5 x 5.6 by a little over one-inch thick and weighs slightly less than 2 pounds. It was created to MIL-STD 810G / IP65 specs. That means it’s able to survive a drop of up to 6 feet, and is certified for resistance against dust and liquid as well as a wide range of operating temperatures (from -4°F to 122°F).

The tablet has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, available 3G, and a fast SiRFstarIV GPS chipset. It also has a front camera and a five-megapixel rear camera. Since it’s designed for commercial and industrial use, it also has a barcode scanner and RFID reader built in. The tablet is very expensive though, with the standard Z710 selling for $1499(USD) and the 3G version selling for $1799. Both versions will ship in October.