On November 13, 2011 Panasonic released more information about upcoming rugged tablets Toughpad A1 and B1. The A1 is expected in December 2011. Smaller b1 will arrive in winter 2012.
MSRP$1299.

Toughpad A1 & B1 Specs

• 1.2GHz dual core processor
• 500 nit 10.1″ (A1) and 7″ (B1) 1024×768 XGA LCD
• multitouch + digitizer
• 1GB DDR2 RAM, 16GB Flash Storage
• Android 3.2
• GPS (hardware level)
• 5MP back camera with autofocus and LED flash, 2MP front camera
• Weight: 2lb
• 0.7″ thick

Toghpad A1 pdf spec. sheet

Toughpad mini website

Toughpad images

So many of us have experienced some major cons of the Ipad 2 such as not 4G connection support, its low quality camera which we all know it can be improved, its inability to support Flash, and its glossy screen. What if I told you that this year many of these problems will be solved? That’s right! Apple should consider coming up with Ipad 3 because Panasonic Company Solutions is releasing a superior tablet for all of us geeks, the Panasonic Android Toughbook!

Besides bearing all kinds of stressed, the new Android Table will bring the following features:

1) A 10.1 inch daylight screen and high brightness running on Android

2) Multitouch functionality with a stylus

3) Satellite GPS

4) Optional 3G or 4G connection

5) Long lasting battery life

6) more updates to come

According to Panasonic’s press release this new gadget will be out for sale on the 4th quarter of this year; no mention on price was given. We can’t wait to see what other amazing features this new gadget will bring us.

Core i5-2520M processor in CF-19 MK5 is clocked at 2.5GHz with Turbo boost up to 3.2GHz

The latest fully rugged Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 MK5 delivers a high-performance CPU in a fan-less design.

The Toughbook CF-19 MK5 is IP65 and MIL-STD-810G compliant, meaning it is capable of operating in extreme temperatures and withstanding multiple free drops to concrete. In addition, it is fully protected against vibration, as well as dust and water ingress.

Configuration

Panasonic has decided to equip MK5 with 10.1-inch transflective LCD wide XGA display (or an optional display with dual-touch capabilities). This 6000-nit sunlight-viewable panel features Panasonic’s CircuLumin technology.

Furthermore, the new Toughbook is powered by a Sandy Bridge Intel Core i5-2520M vPro central processing unit, clocked at 2.5GHz (up to 3.2GHz with Turbo Boost 2.0). The chip has 2 cores (4 threads), 35W max. An integrated Intel HD 3000 graphics card with shared dynamically allocated VRAM is also part of the standard configuration.

The fully rugged notebook houses 4-to 8GB of internal 1333MHz DDR3 memory and either a 320GB mechanical hard drive (7200rpm) or an optional Solid State Drive (SSD) with a storage capacity of 128GB/256GB.

Connectivity

Built-in Wireless LAN 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR adapters are standard on all models except special federal units. Optional are Gobi2000 3G or LTE 4G WWAN and GPS modules.

FireWire, Serial Port, two USB 2.0 ports and Gigabit Ethernet bring no changes from MK3-MK4 models. We are surprised not to see a USB 3.0 port like in Toughbook CF-53.

Other specs, availability and pricing

Panasonic CF-19A will ship with a pre-installed Windows 7 Professional (32bit or 64bit) operating system. Weight starts at 5.1 lbs (2.31kg) with the built-in 5600mAh Lithium-ion battery (up to 9 hours runtime).

The magnesium alloy case with hand strap houses a pressure sensitive touchpad with vertical scrolling support. Rubber or emissive are optional. Security features include SmartCard & fingerprint reader, as well as HDD and battery lock.

The CF-19 MK5 is expected in August with starting price of $4200.

Announced in May Panasonic CF-53 is expected to hit shelves on June 25.

Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 features 14″ HD LED display, 4G LTE mobile broadband, USB 3.0.

Full CF-53 specifications.

Buy Panasonic Toughbook CF-53 online.

The Toughbook 31 offers a 13.1″ brilliant 1100 nit touchscreen available with Panasonic CircuLumin™ technology, integrated webcam and up to 11 hours of battery life.  Major update from CF-30 is new Intel Core™ i5 and i3 processors along with available discrete graphics.

Blogger Seth Persigehl shows in his blog beneftits of being a Toughbook owner.

CF-29 on vacation

Nice computer table.

Toughbook on the beach

Send us your pictures at info@toughbookcentral.com.

Found this on eBay. Note seller ID. I’ve seen many abused Toughbooks, but this one beats them all.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Panasonic-CF-18-Rusted-Busted-ASIS-SEE-THE-PRICE-AB620_W0QQitemZ230423371432QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLaptops_Nov05?hash=item35a64d9ea8

Panasonic N8

Both of them are powered by Intel’s Core 2 Duo P8700 (2.53GHz) processor, and features up to 4GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, Intel GM45 Express Chipset, DVD burner (not in the case of N8), 12.1″ WXGA LCD display, 802.11a/b/g/n wireless, WiMAX, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI.

Panasonic S8 detailed specs.

Prices start from $1800 in Japan for base configuartions.

(913) 685-8855 from 7:30am – 5:30pm CST.

Toughbook Restore Disk

The Toughbook Recovery disks as well as just about any part you may need can be obtained from Heartland Services. They are the only authorized repair facility in the United States.

You must have the part number of the part needed as well as the full model number of the laptop that needs the part. You can reach them at (913) 685-8855 from 7:30am – 5:30pm CST.

If you need a part number, ask! We will try to help you. You cannot order the parts (strangely enough) online with Heartland.

Prices for recovery discs are in $20-30 range + shipping.

Update. Unfortunately you will need exact part number to place an order. Below are part numbers some model. Please contribute in comments if you have information on your Toughbook.

CF-18 Recovery Disks (Set of 3 CDs)

• CF-18 MK1 Windows XP (CF-18BHKZXKA, etc) — p/n DFQX3714MA1, code MK1-XP1M-TGW
• CF-18 MK2 Windows XP (CF-18DHB22KA, etc.) — p/n DFQX3799MA1, code MK2-XP1AM-TSW
• CF-18 MK4 Windows XP — p/n DFQX4003MA3, code MK4-XP2M-TSW
• CF-18 MK4 Windows XP Tablet — p/n ?? , code MK4-XPTM-TSW

CF-30 Recovery Disks (1 DVD)

• CF-30 MK2 Vista Business — p/n DFQM8357MA, code MK2VBM

CF-W2 Recovery Disks (1 DVD)

• W2 MK1 Windows XP — p/n DFQX3691MAU, code MK1-XP1M-W

Main update: ultra-low voltage Centrino 2 vPro processors. 2GB RAM in standard configuration and twice the disk capacity (160GB now).  All CF-19 and CF-30 models now have 1,000 nits LCDs with circular polarizers as well as anti-glare and anti-reflective treatment. Despite more powerful processors, claimed battery life increased to 10 hours.