Panasonic gets tough with Windows 8.1
PANASONIC has just released two new devices in its Tough range of Windows 8.1 devices — the “business rugged” Toughbook CF-LX3 and the fully ruggedised Toughpad FZ-M1 tablet.
The Toughbook CF-LX3 is said to be the world’s thinnest and lightest 14in business rugged notebook — the term “business rugged” in Panasonic terms means that the notebook is built to a higher standard and can withstand the normal shocks and bumps associated with a business worker, although it is not as waterproof nor as shockproof as Panasonic’s military grade Toughbooks.
The Toughbook CF-LX3 runs on Intel’s fourth-generation Core i5-4300U CPU, has a 14in 1600 x 900-pixel display and has a claimed battery life of seven hours with the default 3-cell battery.
Battery life can be increased up to 14 hours with the optional extended battery.
Apart from the extended battery, the Toughbook CF-LX3 can be configured with a number of options, including an optical drive.
For people who work in even tougher environments where dust and water are a problem, however, the Panasonic Toughpad FZ-M1 might be just the thing.
The FZ-M1 conforms to military standards (MIL-STD-810G) and is IPX-5 compliant, which means it is both dust and water resistant and can withstand drops from up to five feet.
It may look like a tablet with its capacitive touch 7in 1280 x 800-pixel display and 540g weight, but the FZ-M1 is actually a fully-functioning Windows 8.1 Pro tablet PC powered by Intel’s fourth-generation Core i5-4302Y processor, with 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD on-board for the base model.
Despite using the Core i5 CPU, Panasonic has designed the FZ-M1 to work completely without cooling fans.
Battery life is a claimed to be eight hours on a single charge.
The Panasonic Toughbook CF-LX3 starts at RM6,960 for the base model while the Toughpad FZ-M1 starts at RM7,500.
++++ www.panasonictoughbook.asia