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Panasonic is offering business travelers a new option for peace of mind with the introduction of the Toughbook F9 business-rugged laptop. At just 3.6 pounds, Panasonic’s calling the F9 the lightest 14-inch laptop in its class.
The Toughbook F9 packs a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-520M vPro processor with Turbo Boost up to 2.93GHz; a 320GB, shock-mounted and removable hard drive; and 2GB of DDR3 (double-data rate) 1,0666MHz RAM, though options run up to 6GB.
The display is a 14-inch WXGA+ widescreen with LED backlighting and anti-glare treatment-a nice fit with the DVD SuperMulti drive. For online connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 and 802.11 a/b/g/n are built in, and users have the option of including Qualcomm’s Gobi2000 3G mobile broadband technology. With its ability to switch between EvDO (Evolution Data Optimized) and HSPA cellular technologies, Gobi can simplify a multicarrier wireless deployment for an IT team, while adding on GPS capabilities for users, according to Panasonic.
Battery life for the Toughbook F9 is said to be up to 7 hours.
“Mobile workforces need the type of desktop-class performance offered by Intel’s Core i5 processors to maximize productivity,” Kyp Walls, Panasonic’s director of product management, said in a June 9 statement. “But performance is useless if your laptop can’t survive the bumps, drops and spills experienced by highly mobile professionals.”
The F9 being a Toughbook, after all, it features a magnesium alloy case and can survive, while powered on, drops from desktop height. Panasonic reports abusing the F9 significantly: dropping it, turned off, more than two dozen times, on every side and corner, from a height of 12 inches onto a hard surface. There’s also a spill-resistant keyboard-which will help you in the case of a toppled standard water glass, though not a Big Gulp.
“The Toughbook F9 marries a high-performance Intel processor with industry-leading light weight, long battery life, mobile connectivity and unrivaled reliability to deliver a best-in-class mobile computing solution,” Wall concluded.
Beginning July 1, the Toughbook F9 will retail for $2,899 at authorized Panasonic retailers. Like all Toughbooks, it comes with a standard three-year warranty and free access to U.S.-based phone support for the life of the notebook.