Dell Latitude e5550

The Dell Latitude e5550 is excellent for the average workday. With an Intel Core i5 processor, it will clock in at around 2.6 GHz, making it powerful but not excessive.  The 4 GB of RAM will allow you to multitask between some necessary office and Internet functions and not worry about your computer slowing down and impeding your progress.

The 15.6-inch screen is a backlit LCD with a much-needed anti-glare coating, making it easy to see and work on whether in a brightly lit room or at night. Also great for working those late hours is the backlit keyboard, which brightens everything up for easy accessibility.

There are a few security options as well. It can be fitted with a fingerprint sensor, Secure Card slot, and an optional encrypted 320 GB hard drive. Even though the hardware and software security is decent, the durability of the machine itself is a bit lacking. While it does have an aluminum casing and an optional solid-state drive (SSD), it isn't a water resistant or dustproof laptop.

Panasonic Toughbook SX2

Panasonic calls this laptop "business-rugged" for a reason. With a magnesium alloy case and a shock-proof 320 GB hard drive, it is able to easily survive a drop from nearly a meter without flinching. It has all the connections a business professional could possibly need for the next presentation to the big client: three USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, support for VGA and HDMI, an SD card slot, and a DVD drive. The 12.1” HD+ LED display gives you stunning, accurate colors that are easily visible, even in conditions that would cause glare on lesser screens.

It's just as impressive inside as it is outside. With a 14.5 hour Lithium Ion battery, you'll be able to easily work during those long international flights. To make sure that those 14.5 hours are well spent, Panasonic's Toughbook comes with 2.6 GHz of power and up to 8 GB of RAM so you'll never waste time on loading screens.

The always loved and reliable Windows 7 Professional comes stock on the Toughbook in either the 32- or 64-bit along with Panasonic Utilities and Recovery Partition to ensure that your software is working properly and safely. The Panasonic Toughbook also keeps your laptop safe with the three-year manufacturer's warranty.

Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch with Retina Display

What list of best laptops would be complete without an Apple MacBook Pro? Stock it comes out packing quite a few punches, the titular 15.4-inch Retina display packing in 220ppi into 2880x1800 resolution being the most obvious of them all. Some other pre-customization features are the Intel Core i7 2.5 GHz processor (with a turbo boost up to 3.7 GHz) and the incredible 16 GB of RAM. Again, that's just out-of-the-box, showing you exactly why Apple has been the top name in media editing.

It comes packed with OS X Mavericks, but the update for Yosemite is already out so that may be changing soon. Either OS gives plenty of compatibility with the iPad and iPhone iOS (Mavericks integrating with 7 and Yosemite being built for both 7 and 8). One of the things about Apple's OS that puts it ahead of Windows in some respects is its stability. Without several disparate hardware configurations to be compatible with, you know that each iOS was built from the ground up hand-in-hand with the hardware for the best compatibility possible. This dedication to compatibility means that the MacBook has great power management, even while running several programs.

As always, it's a mainstay in the desktop-replacement class and perfect for the on-the-go businessperson because it is extremely small and extremely light. At just 1.8 cm x 35.89 cm x 9.73 cm and weighing in at just 2.02 kg, it can easily be slipped into anyone's backpack or suitcase. Unfortunately, it is not a durable option so, while you're running for a cab or propping it on your knees while on the couch, be careful with it.

Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme

If you need a truly outdoor laptop, look no further than the Dell Latitude 14 Rugged Extreme. If the name doesn't tell you the key features, just look at it! It meets military standard requirements with magnesium alloy and ultra-polymer construction. If you're worried about liquid, sand, or dust, don't worry. It's a waterproof and dustproof laptop. Extreme temperatures? No problem. The hard drive? A 256 GB SSD is built right in. And if it happens to fail, it comes with a three-year warranty.

Because this laptop is meant to be taken anywhere at anytime, it comes packed with a GPS and 4G LTE mobile broadband so you never have to worry about a pesky Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection (but it has those as well, for your calmer days).

It's not just the hardware that's tough. Before you customize any piece of it, it comes standard with an Intel Core i5 processer running at 1.9 GHz and packs 8 GB of RAM, so it's able to handle all of your work anywhere you need to use it.

The biggest drawback is pretty much to be expected from an extremely ruggedized laptop: the weight. It breaks the scales at nearly 4 kg, making it not the most ideal laptop for your average remote worker.