You can get an older Android (check craigslist) - and just hook it up to a home wireless network to download from the Google Play store. Its not super rugged - but for the price you can put an otter box on it and make it pretty tough -- for way cheaper than a Nomad (at least for the Nomads I was ever looking at $800+)
You could also get an otterbox for your ipod. I knew of a contractor in Afg do did that with good success.