While there are rumours that Apple's tablet might be delayed because it is a bit too flimsy and low on battery life, Xplore Technologies has released some hardware which shows Jobs' Mob what the gismo needs to be.

The Austin company's iX104C4M Military Tablet PC uses an indoor/outdoor display, extended thermal operating ranges, night vision imaging and resistance against extreme vibration. Xplore President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Holleran said that building a tablet that could be used on the battlefield was jolly tricky.

The computer can interface with dual mode functionality and uses Intel Core Duo technology, Windows 7 and Military Standard 461F compliance for battlefield computing. While it might not look as nice as something Steve Jobs dreamed up it can stand being dropped. (And call in some friendly fire on your position. sub.ed.)