Panasonic Toughbook U1"Panasonic has always been at the forefront of making mobile computing technologies work for users in all conditions," said Rance M. Poehler, president, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. "We were the first to deliver rugged notebooks in a standard form factor, the first to create a rugged convertible tablet and we have made incredible leaps in mission-critical business computing with our innovations in semi-rugged desktop replacement and sub-notebook technologies. The ultra mobile rugged U1 is another example of how we take advances in mobile technology and make them reliable advances--with new product categories designed for users on the frontiers of mobility where value is truly driven for organizations."
The Intel Atom is recognized as one of the world’s smallest chip measuring almost 25 mm, with the lowest power consumption and packing 47 million transistors. It is one of the most powerful processing chips available and is designed for small devices requiring increased system responsiveness and longer battery life.
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"Panasonic builds the new Toughbook CF-U1, but our customers designed it," said Kyp Walls, director of product management, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. "The form and functionality is a direct result of more than two years of feedback we solicited from an array of government and commercial organizations seeking to address the needs of a broad range of mobile users. We've responded with a highly portable and durable device that offers integrated features such as an LCD touchscreen, solid state drive as well as an optional fingerprint scanner for user authentication. Data capture is enabled using 1D and 2D barcode and RFID readers and a 2-megapixel digital camera. The Toughbook CF-U1 offers full-shift battery life, a sunlight viewable screen and seamless connectivity with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G-mobile-broadband internet connectivity, all within an extremely rugged package for maximum reliability."
Pansonic Toughbook U1 can be used in extreme working environments such as construction sites, mining operations, oil and gas refineries, manufacturing facilities, railroad yards, city streets and storage warehouses. It is a great handheld computing unit for insurance adjusters, building inspectors, police officers and firefighters.
"The Intel Atom processor delivers high performance at dramatically low power while maintaining PC compatibility and enabling the best internet experience in small devices," said Anand Chandrasekher, Intel senior vice president and general manager of the company's Ultra Mobility Group. "Intel's low power technologies, combined with Panasonic's longstanding leadership in rugged PCs, are making it possible for mobile field workers to be more productive while reducing TCO for the IT manager."
The ultra-mobile PC runs on Windows Vista or Windows XP operating systems, which provide a friendly user interface, while being designed with an ergonomic QWERTY keyboard with backlight for easy typing in dark environments, the 5.6-inch Panasonic LCD 1024 x 600 pixel display with increased sunlight readability, LED backlight and anti-reflective coating, no fan to eliminate noise, hot-swappable batteries so the user won’t have to stop the operations when replacing the discharged battery, and a durable magnesium alloy chassis with protection against bumps and drops from 4 feet high.
"The entrance of the largest rugged notebook manufacturer onto the UMPC market is a key validation of the UMPC for enterprise applications," said Venture Development Corporation analyst David Krebs. "VDC's research validates that UMPCs will receive strong consideration for enterprise applications that require a balance of device portability and application richness and functionality that an x86 device with a full OS provides."
Specifications include optional 3G mobile broadband, Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, optional GPS module, 1.33GHz processing speeds, up to 32GB removable Solid State Drive storage, 1GB memory, USB, SD card, microphone, headphone jack, expansion bus, optional built-in camera, optional fingerprint reader, optional bar code scanner, and 9 hours of battery life.
It’s a powerful handheld device measuring just 2.2 x 7.2 x 5.9 inches at 2.3 lbs with both batteries, and will be available in August. Panasonic Toughbook price starts at $2,500.
