The Panasonic Toughbook Gets Even Tougher

Panasonic is getting tougher. Tougher with it’s Toughbook series. The newest one is the F8 and it’s built like a brick outhouse. That means military specs like surviving falls from tall buildings and even running in 100 degree heat. This one has 3G–Gobi 3G WWAN to be exact–and at 3.7 lbs. is the lightest one yet.

It has an Intel Core 2 Duo speeding along at 2.26GHz and has space for up to 4GB RAM. It sports a shock-mounted 160GB HDD with a six-hour batter life. Take that to impress the guys! And don’t worry, they can’t break it. It has a magnesium alloy body, spill-resistant keyboard and flexible internal connectors. Heck, with a failure rate of under 3%, this one will survive Aunt Aggie and her famous stove top spaghetti sauce. It’ll be out in November and costs $2,499 USD.

They’ve added fun new things to the Toughbook T8 and W8 as well. They’ve both been upgraded to 3G and both have the new Dynamic Power Performance Management technology developed jointly by Panasonic and Intel. The DPPM controls the operation of the more heat producing elements to get a balance of performance and thermal limits. The Hybrid Cooling system allows the user to adjust the fan speed based on ambient conditions and performance required.

The W8 gets 7 hours of battery life and will sell in November starting at $2,099 US. The T8 has a touchscreen along with that 7 hour battery and will start at the same price as the W8. They all come with lifetime US-based phone support! Now here’s some stuff I didn’t tell you about:

Panasonic Toughbook F8
• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor SP9300, 2.26 GHz (6MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB)
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM standard, expandable to 4GB
• Integrated DVD Multi Drive
• 14.1″ 1280 x 800 WXGA anti-glare TFT active matrix color LCD
• TPM Security Chip, v1.2
• Intel® WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/draft-n
• Genuine Windows Vista™ Business (with XP downgrade option)
• Dimensions: 9.9″(L) x 12.8″(W) x 1.0″/1.9″ front/rear (H) (without protrusion)
• Weight: Approximately 3.7 lbs
• Wireless on-off switch (WWAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
• Bluetooth® v2.0 + EDR
• Optional integrated Gobi(TM) 3G global mobile Internet (EV-DO and HSPA)

Panasonic Toughbook W8
• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor SU9300, 1.20 GHz (3MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB)
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM standard, expandable to 4GB
• Integrated DVD Multi drive
• 12.1″ 1024 x 768 XGA anti-glare TFT active matrix color LCD
• TPM Security Chip v1.2
• Intel® WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/draft-n
• Genuine Windows Vista™ Business (with XP downgrade option)
• Dimensions: 8.4”(L) x 10.7″ (W) x 1.4”/1.9” front/rear (H)
• Weight: Approximately 3.3 lbs
• Wireless on-off switch (WWAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
• Bluetooth® v2.0 + EDR
• Optional integrated Gobi(TM) 3G global mobile Internet (EV-DO and HSPA)

Panasonic Toughbook T8
• Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor SU9300, 1.20 GHz (3MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB)
• 1GB DDR2 SDRAM standard, expandable to 4GB
• 120GB HDD, shock-mounted
• 12.1″ 1024 x 768 XGA anti-glare TFT active matrix color LCD with touchscreen
• TPM Security Chip v1.2
• Intel® WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/draft-n
• Genuine Windows Vista™ Business (with XP downgrade option)
• Display Image Rotation software
• Dimensions: 8.4”(L) x 10.7″ (W) x 1.4”/1.9” front/rear (H)
• Ergonomic rubber hand strap
• Weight: Approximately 3.3 lbs
• Battery life: Approximately 7 hours
• Wireless on-off switch (WWAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
• Bluetooth® v2.0 + EDR
• Optional integrated Gobi(TM) 3G global mobile Internet (EV-DO and HSPA)