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Panasonic Solutions Company, a provider of collaboration, information-sharing and decision-support solutions for government and commercial enterprises, announced upgrades to the Toughbook C1, a lightweight 12.1-inch convertible tablet notebook. The new version comes equipped with a 320GB base hard drive, up to 12 hours of battery life, 2GB RAM (expandable to 8GB) and an increased Intel Core i5-2520M vPro processor (2.50GHz with Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz).
In addition, the Toughbook C1’s start-up time is approximately 30 percent faster compared to the previous model. The company said the Toughbook C1 convertible tablet form factor is ideal for road warriors and mobile workers in a variety of environments including healthcare, education and field sales. The upgraded Toughbook C1 maintains its embedded wireless connectivity, including Bluetooth v2.1 and optional Qualcomm’s Gobi2000 3G mobile broadband technology.
The device is certified on the AT&T, Sprint and Verizon Wireless 3G networks, and the tablet also has Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, offering improved connectivity options for mobile workers. At 3.28 lbs, the lightweight Toughbook C1 with the triple-hinge design is created for a mobile workforce that requires durability and portability. The upgraded Toughbook C1 is expected to be available in July 2011 from authorized Panasonic reseller starting at an estimated street price of $2,599 and includes a full three-year limited warranty, parts and labor, providing coverage wherever the unit may be deployed.
The notebook is able to withstand drops from approximately 30 inches and comes with a battery life of twelve hours (with optional second battery) – enabled by a hot-swappable twin battery design. The -hand-free’ ergonomic “strap and dome” cradle is designed for customer comfort and long-term use. The Toughbook C1 also has a spill-resistant keyboard, which protects against liquid spills of about 6 ounces. The device’s 12.1-inch widescreen WXGA 1280 x 800 display is available with a choice of multi touch and digitizer screen or gloved multi touch screen and an anti-glare screen treatment.
“The Toughbook C1 is often the convertible tablet of choice for our customers with highly mobile workforces, such as doctors, visiting nurses, sales teams and road warriors,” said Kyp Walls, director of product management for Panasonic Solutions Company. “When upgrading the device, we made sure to improve the features that are crucial in helping our end users perform their jobs more efficiently. This includes incorporating a faster processor, larger hard drive and longer battery life into a hardened, business-rugged device that offers unmatched reliability and provides the highest ROI.”