Panasonic Introduces World's Lightest 3G-ready Notebook with a 14.1 Iinch Wide Display and Internal Optical Drive
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, manufacturer of durable, reliable Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computers, today announced major updates to its business-rugged notebook computer line with the introduction of the thin-and-light F8 and upgrades to the tablet alternative T8 and the ultraportable W8.
8 Series Toughbook mobile computers will also include the Gobi 3G mobile broadband (WWAN) solution from Qualcomm Inc. that allows connection to high-speed mobile Internet services offered by leading network operators virtually anywhere in the world.
"Middle East consumers are incredibly mobile, and with the light weight 3G-ready Panasonic notebooks, one is always connected," said Mr. Yuichiro Suzuki, Product manager, Panasonic Marketing Middle East
"Our notebooks are designed to offer industry-leading portability, durability, and wireless connectivity a necessary combination for today's on-the-move professionals. Panasonic leads the industry in reliability by engineering and building notebooks that are durable from the inside-out. We add to that a three-year warranty, with a round-the-clock customer support team, to give the highest possible return on investment and lowest total cost of ownership."
These innovative business computing solutions are based on Panasonic's more than fifteen years of engineering and manufacturing robust notebook computers that deliver the durability, reliability and connectivity essential to keeping government and business professionals working wherever and whenever they need to.
The Panasonic Toughbook F8
Adding to the business-rugged basic concept of delivering lightweight and durable systems with long battery life, the new Toughbook® F8 is the world's lightest 3G-ready notebook with a 14.1 inch wide display and an internal optical drive. Weighing 3.7 pounds, the Toughbook F8 has an integrated handle for maximum portability. The handle is tested to the same standard as the flagship rugged Toughbook 30 handle, which is used in the most extreme computing environments. With the Intel ® Core™ 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM, bright widescreen LCD and a 160GB shock-mounted hard drive, the new F8 is the ideal tool for the road warrior who needs both an extremely portable and high performance PC.
A New Level of Performance and Wireless Flexibility
Built with the real-world challenges of today's mobile user in mind, the Intel ® Core™ 2 Duo processor W8, T8 and F8 notebooks offer an ideal combination of the latest computing power, light weight (from 3. to 3.7 lbs) and long battery life--all protected by proven durability that is engineered throughout. Like all Toughbook notebooks, the business-rugged 8 Series notebooks have strong magnesium alloy cases and chassis, shock-mounted hard drives and LCDs, spill-resistant keyboards and flexible internal connectors for additional protection.
In addition, the 8 Series business-rugged products offer a range of embedded wireless options for anytime, anywhere connectivity, including 802.11a/b/g/draft-n and Bluetooth 2.0. The 8 Series will ship with optional embedded GobiTM 3G technology. Gobi-enabled products, along with Panasonic's Carrier Selection Application (CSA) software and more than a decade of experience embedding wireless antennas in notebooks, allow seamless selection between mobile broadband carriers and simplified international roaming within a single embedded device. The Panasonic Toughbook 8 Series will be certified on all major networks worldwide, allowing workers to stay connected regardless of network availability in their current location and whether the network is using CDMA2000 EV-DO or HSPA/UMTS/GPRS technologies.
The Panasonic CSA will allow IT administrator's maximum flexibility in the management of wireless notebooks. Gobi is designed to lower IT procurement, qualification, support and management costs.
Advanced Power Management
In order to optimally run the more powerful Intel processors in the small and lightweight 8 Series mobile PCs, engineers from Panasonic and Intel developed a proprietary implementation of Dynamic Power Performance Management technology, which dynamically controls key devices operation to find optimal balance between thermal limits and performance. The Hybrid Cooling System within the 8 Series incorporates a compact fan design as well as a user-adjustable fan utility to help manage fan speed based on ambient conditions and the performance required.
Real World Testing
In addition to performance, people on the go need a mobile computer that can survive the drops, bumps and spills associated with constant travel. The vast majority of business notebooks lack the brawn to survive a hectic travel schedule.
The new business-rugged Toughbook® notebooks are more durable than any other business notebook. The Mil-spec methodology outlines a procedure by which units are dropped onto plywood on 26 different sides, to test rugged performance on every corner, edge and surface. The 8 Series business-rugged Toughbook notebooks successfully survived drops of 12" for the unit itself and 30" for the shock-mounted hard drive. Additional Panasonic drop-testing requires that 8 Series notebooks survive a 30" (just over the typical height of a desk or table) drop to the base of the unit while it is operating.
The unique Panasonic spill-resistant keyboard design protects against liquid spills of about 6 ounces (200 cc), and both the lid and base of the notebooks are designed to withstand more than 220 lbs (100 Kg) of pressure. In addition, Panasonic's commitment to quality--at both the component and finished goods level--results in a total of more than 500 checks and tests during and after production.
Business-Rugged Panasonic Toughbook Notebooks
Toughbook F8: Desktop Computer Capabilities in an Extremely Portable Package
The world's lightest 3G-ready computer with a 14.1 inch wide display and internal optical drive, featuring an integrated handle, the Panasonic Toughbook F8 thin-and-light notebook weighs 3.7 pounds and delivers approximately 6 hours of battery life. The Toughbook F8 notebook includes a built-in DVD Multi drive, Intel® Core™ 2 Duo standard voltage processor, 1 GB SDRAM (expandable to 4GB) and 160 GB hard drive. The F8's larger widescreen makes it suitable for presenting to small groups while still being portable enough for road warriors.
Panasonic Toughbook W8: Ultraportable Notebook for the Mobile Professional
The ultraportable Panasonic Toughbook W8 notebook, with its integrated DVD Multi drive, 12.1 inch anti-glare LCD, and weight of approximately 3 pounds, is ideal for mobile professionals. Equipped with an ultra-low voltage Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor, 1 GB SDRAM (expandable), 120 GB hard disk, and battery life of approximately 7 hours, the W8 is as useful on an airline tray table as it is in the board room.
Panasonic Toughbook T8: A lightweight Tablet PC Alternative
Designed with input from "walking workers," the Toughbook T8 notebook is a tablet-alternative notebook with a touch screen, stylus and screen rotating software. The system features a 12.1 inch touch-screen LCD and convenient rubber hand strap. Equipped with an ultra-low voltage Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor, the 3.3 pound T8 provides an 120GB hard drive and 1 GB SDRAM (expandable) and delivers up to 7 hours of battery life, depending on operating environment.
Security Options Vital for Mission-Critical Computing
The Panasonic Toughbook 8 Series notebooks all provide significant data security features including trusted platform module (TPM) security chip v. 1.2, the Computrace theft protection agent in the BIOS, a cable lock slot, password security and an optional fingerprint scanner. The T8 was designed without an optical drive, enhancing data security in highly sensitive environments such as healthcare.
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About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and manufacture of electronic products for a wide range of consumer, business, and industrial needs. Based in Osaka, Japan, the company recorded consolidated net sales of 9.07 trillion yen (US$90.7 billion) for the year ended March 31, 2008. The company's shares are listed on the Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and New York (NYSE Symbol: PC) stock exchanges. For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net
© Press Release 2009
