The number of waterproof rugged cameras has exploded over the past few years. The segment was basically owned by Pentax and Olympus, but now all of the major compact camera manufacturers have a rugged model, if not two or three.
The upside to that is there is something for just about everyone at various price points, starting at just more than $100. The more money you spend, the tougher the camera, though, so make sure you get something that meets your needs.
And if you're more interested in shooting video than photos, check out the two minicamcorders that follow the camera list.
Editors' note: This post was originally published May 4, 2012, but is updated frequently. It was updated June 19, 2012, to include the Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS and Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS
Olympus has long had some of the most rugged compacts available, but with other manufacturers getting in on this niche market, its Tough line was falling behind in other areas. That all changes with the TG-1 iHS. Read the full review.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4
If you already have 2011's TS3, there are only a couple reasons to upgrade and they don't have much to do with better picture quality or performance (though those are very good from the TS4). Read the full review.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX20
The TX20 is the rugged camera that no one would know is rugged; it's more for urban and suburban adventurers. Read the full review.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Pentax Optio WG-2
One of the most rugged point-and-shoots you can get, the WG-2 (available with GPS or without) is water-, dust-, freeze-, shock-, and crushproof. Read the full review.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Nikon Coolpix S30
With giant buttons and simplified menus, the S30 can be used by just about anyone. Plus, it runs on AA batteries. Read the full review.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Samsung HMX-W300
Though for video quality it's no better than a higher-end smartphone, you don't have to worry about killing your battery or get nervous about handing shooting duties off to your friends and family. Read the full review.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Kodak PlaySport Zx5
The last of Kodak's excellent rugged minicamcorders is still available and at an impulse-friendly sub-$90 price, no less. Read the full review.
Looking for specs and pricing? Compare this group of cameras head-to-head.
And if you're wondering about the Nikon AW100, Fujifilm FinePix XP150, and Canon PowerShot D20, full reviews of those are coming soon.

Apple MacBook Pro

The good: A faster processor, improved graphics, and USB 3.0 highlight a series of internal improvements in the new 15-inch MacBook Pro.
The bad: The unchanged design is starting to feel a little dated. Any real structural changes, HDMI, higher-res displays, were reserved for the Retina display version of the MacBook Pro.
The bottom line: Another year of incremental improvements for the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro help it maintain its lead as a useful, powerful, attractive midsize laptop, but the competition is closer than ever to catching up.
MSRP:$1,799.00LOW PRICE:$1,789.00See all prices Set price alert
Not very long ago, to be the 15-inch MacBook was to be the life of the laptop party. Big and powerful, yet still slim and attractive, the college kids wanted MacBook Airs, while the designers and artists wanted the 15-inch MacBook Pro (or, in a few cases, the bigger 17-inch version).
That logic has shifted with the release of Apple's 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. Despite the similar names, these are two very different beasts.
One is nearly ultrabook-thin, with solid-state storage, an HDMI port, dual Thunderbolt ports, no optical drive, and a unique 2,880x1,800-pixel display. And, it starts at $2,199. The other is the same 15-inch MacBook Pro we've known and loved for a couple of years, but upgraded to Intel's third-generation Core i7 processors (both models have Nvidia graphics and USB 3.0 ports). That starts at $1,799 (as reviewed here), but is easily upgraded to $2,199 or more.
Except for the optical drive, higher storage capacities, and lower staring price, it's hard to think of a way in which the full-size MacBook Pro is superior to the new, thinner Retina Display version. That model is clearly the new flagship MacBook, while this 15-inch Pro exists to serve those who are tied to what Apple may consider legacy features -- DVD drives, Ethernet cables, and even FireWire.
The math should be simple. If you can afford the Retina version, and can live with its connectivity and storage limitations, go for that. If not, the standard 15-inch MacBook Pro is still a great laptop, with excellent build quality, amazing battery life, and powerful performance. But, despite a long-term fondness for this particular product, the overall design, unchanged for the past few cycles, is starting to feel a bi dated, especially the default 1,440x900-pixel screen resolution.
Price as reviewed$1,799
Processor2.3GHz Intel Core i7 720QM
Memory4GB, 1600MHz DDR3
Hard drive500GB 5,400rpm
ChipsetIntel HM77
GraphicsNvidia GeForce 650M / Intel HD 4000
Operating systemOS X Lion 10.7.4
Dimensions (WD)14.4 x 9.8 inches
Height0.95 inch
Screen size (diagonal)15.4 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter5.7/6.4 pounds
CategoryMidsize
While its internal components have been updated to include the latest hardware from Intel and Nvidia, the 2012 version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro looks and feels the same as previous iterations. It's still one of the best overall laptop designs around, and still one of the thinnest full-power 15-inch models, but thanks in part to competition from ultrabooks (an Intel marketing program to design and promote thinner laptops across several screen sizes), Windows laptops are catching up quickly.
The basic building block should be familiar by now: a solid chunk of aluminum, which is carved down into a shell with support struts. This unibody chassis has the benefit of being thin, but strong and flex-free at the same time.
The keyboard and trackpad are essentially the same as those seen on the last several generations of MacBook Pros. Holding the Retina Pro side by side with this model, the only discernible differences are slightly shallower keys in the thinner Retina model, and a separate power button in the upper-right corner of the interior panel (on the Retina Pro, the optical drive eject button has been replaced by a power button). It's still one of the best laptop keyboards, perhaps a close second to Lenovo for overall ease of use.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
The large glass trackpad, with its multifinger gestures, remains the industry leader. Many Windows laptops have added larger clickpads over the past year or so, with somewhat similar multitouch gestures, but none can yet compete with the MacBook's gesture implementation. (But, here's a quick Mac touchpad tip. The tap-to-drag functionality is turned off by default. To turn it back on, look in the Universal Access settings menu, not the trackpad settings menu.)
The 1,440x900-pixel display is one of the few weak spots in this system. It's similar to the 1,366x768-pixel display you'll find on less expensive midsize Windows laptops, but anything even close to this price range should start off with a much higher resolution. A 1,680x1,050-pixel display is a $100 option, and money well spent (plus, there's also an antiglare version of that higher-res screen). Of course, even that resolution can't compete with either the 1,920x1,080 found on many premium Windows laptops, or the 2,880x1,800-pixel resolution on the MacBook Pro with Retina display. Interestingly, both this and the Retina version are still 16:10 aspect ratio displays -- some of the only laptops to keep that standard.
Apple MacBook Pro (15-inch, June 2012)Average for category [midsize]
VideoDisplayPort/ThunderboltVGA plus HDMI or DisplayPort
AudioStereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacksStereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data2 USB 3.0, SD card reader2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0, SD card reader, eSATA
NetworkingEthernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, BluetoothEthernet, 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, optional mobile broadband
Optical driveDVD burnerDVD burner
Apple is clearly sticking with Thunderbolt, even upping the number of ports to two in the Retina Pro. Here, you still just get the one, which doubles as a mini-DisplayPort output. The only big change in connectivity options is the jump to USB 3.0 ports. Unlike Windows laptops, which label those ports in blue, to differentiate from USB 2.0, Apple says they're all USB 3.0 now, across the MacBook lineup, so there's no need to label them as such. One upgrade I miss here is the new HDMI port found on the Retina Pro. I'm also not a fan of the new power connector, dubbed MagSafe 2, on this and the other Pros. Having one universal connector any MacBook could use was very useful for multiple-MacBook families.
Like nearly every new laptop right now, the 2012 version of the MacBook Pro includes Intel's latest Core i-series CPUs, previously known by the code name Ivy Bridge. In this case, it's a quad-core 2.3GHz Intel Core i7-3610QM, with a 2.6GHz version available in the $2,199 upgrade model.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
The actual application performance was modestly improved, mirroring what we saw in Windows laptops that switched to Ivy Bridge. If you get the $2,199 base model Retina MacBook Pro, you'll get the same chip, and essentially the same performance, with some minor improvement in some tests thanks to the Retina Pro's solid-state hard drive.
There's been a big switch in graphics from last year, however. A new Nvidia GeForce 650M replaces last year's AMD Radeon HD 6750M. In our admittedly dated Call of Duty 4 Mac gaming benchmark, we got 69.6 frames per second at the native 1,440x900-pixel resolution, which was much better than last year's 41.3 frames per second. Of course, we'd expect that from a newer, faster processor and video card. The GPU here is the 512MB version of the 650M. You can get a 1GB version, but only with the more expensive 15-inch Pro base model.

Judges tosses Apple v. Motorola

A U.S. judge has tossed out the Apple v. Motorola patent case for good, according to reports.
Judge Richard Posner of the U.S. District of Northern Illinois said that neither Apple nor Motorola has been able to prove damages and that neither company would be permitted to refile a claim, according to All Things Digital.
"It would be ridiculous to dismiss a suit for failure to prove damages and allow the plaintiff to refile the suit so that he could have a second chance to prove damages. This case is therefore dismissed with prejudice; a separate order to that effect is being entered today," ATD quoted Posner as having said in his ruling.
Earlier this month, Posner canceled Apple's patent infringement jury trial against Google's Motorola Mobility unit, then granted Apple's request for an injunction hearing.
On Wednesday, Posner strongly questioned Apple's bid for an injunction against Motorola smartphones, saying, according to Reuters, that a ban on sales could have "catastrophic effects" and would be "contrary to the public interest."
Apple has been waging a patent war over its iOS mobile operating system and Google's competing Android OS. Motorola sued Apple in 2010, in what some saw as a preemptive strike, but over the course of the legal proceedings, many of Motorola's claims had been tossed out, leaving the company with little ammunition.
The one claim Motorola had left was based on a patent it had agreed to let other companies use in exchange for the covered-technology becoming an industry standard (a so-called frandpatent). At the time of his "catastrophic effects" comment to Apple, Posner had also told Motorola's lawyers, according to Reuters, "I don't see how you can have injunction against the use of a standard-essential patent."
While this evening's ruling, and the accompanying evaporation of an Apple injunction against Motorola devices, is a win for Motorola, Posner's decision and his comments during the case seem to go beyond any one company.
During the legal proceedings, the judge also pointed to serious problems with the U.S. patent system and questioned the worth of many software patents, saying, Reuters reported, "You can't just assume that because someone has a patent, he has some deep moral right to exclude everyone else."
Apple declined to comment on this evening's ruling. Motorola sent the following statement:
 "We are pleased that Judge Posner formally dismissed the case against Motorola Mobility. Apple's litigation campaign began with their attempt to assert 15 patents against us. As it relates to Apple's violation of our patents, we will continue our efforts to defend our own innovation."
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