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Consumer electronics giant Panasonic announced the launch of two 5-inch fully rugged tablets, the Toughpad FZ-E1, powered by Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld, and the Toughpad FZ-X1, running the Android 4.2.2 operating system.
The tablets feature 14-hour hot-swappable batteries, FIPS 140-2 Level 1 security and sunlight-readable HD touch-screens, and are supported by an ecosystem of accessories such as holsters, vehicle mounts and chargers and vertical market specific application solutions from a wide variety of vendors.
Glove-touch and rain-sensing features are included on the high-sensitivity 10-point capacitive multitouch display, and the tablets also boast an optional integrated 1D/2D barcode reader, optional attachable magnetic stripe card reader and expansion area for peripheral connectivity.
Both devices are fully sealed against dust and are submersible in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes, meeting IP65 and IP68 certification requirements.
The tablets also carry an operating temperature range of -4°F to 140°F thanks to a built-in heater, and are also tested for resistance to impact, shock, vibration, altitude and extreme humidity.
Other features include an 8MP rear camera with auto focus and LED light, and a 1.3MP front camera, and the Toughpad FZ-E1 sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series 2.3GHz Quad Core processor, while the FZ-X1 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series 1.7GHz Quad Core chip.
“An always-connected workforce is only as strong as its weakest link, and this is true whether on the shop floor or the battlefield,” Rance Poehler, president of the Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, said in a statement. “Our Toughpad FZ-E1 and Toughpad FZ-X1 build on the legacy of nearly two decades of rugged devices from Panasonic to accomplish the mission of keeping professionals in the most demanding work environments connected to the data they need to do their jobs, to one another and to the customers they are supporting.”
The FZ-E1 and FZ-X1 are the first devices in the Toughpad line to offer optional voice connectivity. Both models will be available with dual SIM slots and certified on leading mobile carrier networks, 4G LTE/3G/GPRS/CDMA2000 mobile broadband for voice and data.
Standard on both models is WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, near field communications (NFC), standalone GPS and Bluetooth 4.0.
In addition, push-to-talk service will be available on specific networks and depending on service contracts.
A quick-charging feature allows for a 50 percent charge in just one hour and hot-swap functionality allows a depleted battery to be swapped out for a fresh one without powering down the device.