Panasonic has unveiled two Toughpads at CES 2013. The FZ-G1 runs on Windows 8 Pro whereas the JT-B1 runs on Android 4.0 ICS. Both the tablets have the ability to withstand immersion in water.
The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1runs on Windows 8 Pro. Under the hood, it has a 3rd Generation Intel Core i5-3437U vPro clocked at 1.9GHz up to 2.9GHz with Intel Turbo Boost Technology. It has a 128-256GB SSD, 4 to 8GB RAM, optional micro SDXC.
In terms of its rugged use, it has MIL-STD-810G, 4-feet drop, IP65, 14° to 122°F (operational temp range). The display on the device is 10.1-inches and Panasonic claims that it is sunlight viewable. The display is WUXGA with a 1920×1200 resolution and the company claims that the device will last for 8.0 hours. The battery is user-replaceable. Other specifications include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, optional embedded 4G LTE or 3G I/O. It also has a full size USB 3.0, HDMI, Full size USB 2.0 and wired LAN.
Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1
The Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1runs on Android 4.0 ICS and has a TI OMAP4460 1.5GHz dual-core processor. It has 16GB of ROM, 1GB of RAM, micro SDHC and has a rugged MIL-STD-810G rating, capable of withstanding a 5 feet drop. It can work in IP65, 14° to 122°F (operational temp range). The display on the device is 7-inches and boasts of daylight viewable 500nit brightness, and a resolution of WSVGA (1024 x 600). It has a 1.3MP fixed focus front facing camera and a 13.0MP auto focus rear-facing camera with an LED flash. Panasonic claims that the 5,720mAh battery will last for up to 8.0 hours. The battery on the device is user replacable, and we think this is an interesting feature for an Android tablet. Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, optional embedded 4G LTE 3G I/O via Micro USB.
Panasonic Toughpad JT-B1
Panasonic will offer a full set of professional-grade accessories to support the Toughpad line, including cases, mounts, printers, keyboards, magnetic stripe readers, smart card readers and multi-unit storage and charging solutions.
“For nearly 20 years, Panasonic has engineered the most reliable mobile computing devices on the market,” said Rance M. Poehler, president, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. “Because our customers know they can count on our products to deliver performance and return on investment, Panasonic – through its Toughbook brand – holds nearly 80 percent market share in the rugged mobile device space. We believe our engineering acumen, vertical market expertise and reputation for reliability, backed by our world-class service, will result in the Toughpad family being the leading B2B tablet solution in the coming years.”
Hide Harada, Director, IT Products Business Unit added, “The goal for Panasonic is to achieve 50% market share in the ruggedized tablet space by 2015.”
The 10-inch Windows 8 Pro-based Toughpad FZ-G1 will be available in March starting at $2,899 (Rs. 1,60,300 approx.). The 7-inch Android-powered Toughpad JT-B1 will ship in February starting at $1,199 (Rs. 66,000 approx.).