Panasonic Toughbook S9, Rugged Tablet Go On Display

by Nicholas Kolakowski

Panasonic had the recently released Toughbook S9 on display at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2010. The 3-pound device features a 12.1-inch LED screen and is rated for a 30-inch drop.

The S9’s toughness comes courtesy of a magnesium alloy case, a shock-mounted flex-connect hard drive and a spill-resistant keyboard.

Panasonic claims the Toughbook S9 has a battery life of 11 hours.

The Toughbook S9 comes standard with Windows 7. It also supports Linux.

The Toughbook S9 boasts a circular, spill-resistant keypad.

The Toughbook S9’s DVD drive. The device also supports analog (VGA) and HDMI video outputs.

Panasonic envisions the Toughbook as supporting a broader tech ecosystem for both government and enterprise—particularly those institutions (such as police) involved in rugged fieldwork.

At the Gartner show, Panasonic also displayed its “rugged tablet,” the U1 Essential. The 2.3-pound device runs a touch-screen version of Windows XP (it also supports Vista) and a slot for a bar-code reader.

The U1 essential also features a 2-megapixel camera, along with integrated options such as GPS.