Panasonic’s new “business-rugged” Toughbook notebooks

Panasonic has added three "business-rugged" notebook computers their Toughbook suite. The new trio is drop-and spill-resistant with strong magnesium alloy cases and chassis, shock-mounted hard drives and LCDs, and internal flexible connectors for additional protection.

The 7 Series toughbook notebooks; the ultraportable W7, the tablet alternative T7, and the thin-and-light Y7 Toughbook notebooks are designed with the executive traveler in mind. Easy to lug about at 3.0 to 3.7lbs and with a long battery life (from five to nine hours), the new Toughbooks offer bonus of durability and shock-resistance but without the high price tag of a fully-rugged notebook.

Durability If you spill your morning coffee on to your 7 Series Toughbook notebook keyboard you can relax in the knowledge that the unique Panasonic spill-through keyboard design protects against liquid spills of more than 6 ounces (200 cc). And just in case you nudge your notebook on to the floor whilst mopping up that coffee, the Panasonic drop-test requires that 7 series notebooks survive a 30” or 76cm (just over the typical height of a desk or table) drop to the base of the unit while it is operating. Further klutz-proofing includes designing both the lid and base of the notebooks to withstand more than 220 lbs (100 Kg) of pressure and requiring notebook hinges to pass 50,000 cycles.

System Performance To ensure that the Intel Santa Rosa processors run at an optimum in the 7 Series, Intel and Panasonic engineers created Dynamic Power Performance Management technology to continually fine tune CPU usage based on system load and the tasks being performed. A new Hybrid Cooling System incorporates a compact fan design as well as a user-defined fan utility to help manage fan speed based on ambient conditions and the performance required.

In brief:

The Ultraportable Toughbook W7 With a weight of just three pounds and battery life of approximately 7 hours this notebook is integrates a DVD MULTI drive, 12.1 inch anti-glare LCD, and is equipped with an ultra-low voltage Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor and 1 GB SDRAM. The Ultraportable W7 is expected to hit the market in December 2007 at a cost of USD$2,099.

The lightweight Tablet Toughbook T7 Designed with input from “walking workers” such as nurses and home care professionals, this notebook has a touch screen, stylus and screen rotating software. It is equipped with an ultra-low voltage Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor, an 80GB hard drive, 1 GB SDRAM (expandable) and up to 9 hours of battery life. The lightweight Tablet T7 should also be available in December 2007, with an estimated retail price of USD$2,099.

The Thin and Light Toughbook Y7 Available now and retailing at an estimated street price of USD$2,449.00 the Panasonic Toughbook Y7 is the world’s lightest laptop with a 14.1 inch display. Weighing just 3.7 pounds it has a built-in DVD MULTI drive, Intel® Core™ 2 Duo low voltage processor, 1 GB SDRAM (expandable) and 80 GB hard drive. With five hours of battery life and a large screen it can be used for presenting to small groups whilst still being portable.

So you might not be planning on climbing Everest with your Toughbook, but with a 7 Series should be able to get through a regular working day without too much trouble.

Visit Panasonic for more details.