Obviously no one should TRY to damage their device, but Nokia does have quite a rigorous testing facility for their hardware:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...21695595&hl=en

For those who can't be bothered to watch the video, they basically run the devices through every possible way of damaging them (multi-point bending, heat, moisture, dryness, immersion, splashes, repeated use, repeated tumbling, dropping from heights etc.) and keep doing that until they break. Then they study how the device breaks so they know where the weak points are and how they can be reduced.

They're not guaranteeing it will survive these things, obviously if you drop your tablet in a river it won't be covered by Nokia's warranty. But what they're trying to do is reduce the damage that happens even when you step outside the limits of the official guarantee.

One interesting fact: a device lasts longer if it has gaps in all sides, because it stops moisture collecting. If you look on any Nokia device practically every side of it has some kind of gap or button.