14 DAY TRIAL // Rugged devices are awesome. They can survive abuse beyond mortal ken, and they tend to look really cool too. Sometime, though, they are totally useless, and I am sad to say that the fx-FD10 Pro calculator from Casio is an example of this.
Why is it useless? Mostly because it's a calculator. Pretty much every device nowadays with a big enough screen has calculator software, making dedicated calculators pretty pointless.
Then again, this new one does have actual buttons instead of easy-to-type-wrong touch-based on-screen keyboard, and it's big enough to use comfortably.
Also, most smartphones don't come in rugged form factors, although industrial equipment usually includes PDAs or other small, handheld all-purpose devices, which doesn't help calculators' case.
Still, the fx-FD10 Pro does merit some recognition for the sunlight visibility of its otherwise drab 128x64-pixel monochrome screen. It also has an SD card slot (stores equations, apps, collected data) and USB connectivity. So you could say it doubles as a rugged USB storage unit.
Nevertheless, ultimately, it's the ruggedness that stands out. The Casio fx-FD10 Pro can easily live through rain, dust, sandstorms, spilled drinks, drops of various heights, etc. All for the price of $235 / €170. If you're in the market for one, you can at least be assured that it could very well outlive your job, and even you maybe.