RCMP uses panasonic toughbooks. At least it looks like it and someone from another forum mentioned it.
Although about 300 out of your budget w/o tax...it might be worth a looking into.
Heres a link to the site:
http://www.panasonic.com/business/to...asp?tab=offers
Ya.. I looked up the dell rugged notebooks... wayy out of budget. Other than thinkpads which are considerably less durable (IMO), they'll stand up to some drops and spillage. I wouldn't use them outdoors though.