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OtterBox, a company that has developed rugged cases for many mobile devices, including Palm's Treo smartphones and Hewlett-Packard's (HP) iPAQs, is now offering BlackBerry users a way to ruggedize their devices.

The OtterBox 1930 and the OtterBox 1931 promise to waterproof and dustproof as well as drop and crush protect RIM's BlackBerry 8700 series and 7200 series, respectively. Sorry all you BlackBerry Pearl users out there, there's no rugged case for you. Then again, the market to ruggedize one of these devices is probably quite small.

As with OtterBox's other cases, the BlackBerry models are constructed of a hardy polycarbonate/ABS shell and black or grey rubber overmolding for grip and drop protection. Both models meet the MIL-STD 810F rating for drop and shock and the IP54 rating for heavy rain and dust intrusion.

Cases provide water-resistant access to keypad, scroll wheel, escape button, power button, mute button, sync/charge jack, headphone jack, and programmable side button. And the LCD remains protected from scratches and drop damage with a rigid screen cover, while an acoustic membrane allows for sound transmission.

Otterbox Web site lists the BlackBerry 8700 series case for $129.95, while the model for the BlackBerry 7200 series, the company explained to PDAStreet, will be out soon for the same price.

"We have already seen an interest in the cases from B2B customers, but even more so from military customers," according to OtterBox representative Brian Thomas. "Many of our customers are working in environments that can be harmful to their device and data."

The company already finds its OtterBox 1900 PDA case, for HP's iPAQ hx4700, in use in Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Afghanistan through the Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care (MC4), an army program.

MC4 loads all necessary medical information management software onto the iPAQ. The software, developed by the Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (a part of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command), is called Battlefield Medical Information System Tactical - Joint. With it, Army tactical medical forces can quickly and securely document patient information at the point of injury.

This technology replaces the handwritten, paper-based medical record, DD Form 1380, Field Medical Card, used since World War II.