Panasonic Introduced The Toughbook C1 – World’s Lightest 12.1” Convertible Tablet PC

Panasonic today introduced the Panasonic Toughbook C1, the world’s lightest 12.1” convertible tablet PC. The new device delivers up to 10 hours of battery life, a 30” (to base) drop rating, optional Gobi2000™ mobile broadband and a host of other features designed to maximize return on investment and reduce the total cost of ownership. Powered by the Intel® Core™ i5 520M vPro™ processor and weighing only 3.2 pounds (with one battery, 3.7 lbs with two), the Toughbook C1 offers desktop-class performance in a lightweight, convertible tablet form factor that is ideal for road warriors and mobile workers in a variety of markets, including healthcare, field service, sales and education.

Panasonic Toughbook C1

Innovative Design

The Toughbook C1 is one of the first laptops to support multi-touch and digitizers, offering the input of a finger, gesture or an electronic stylus pen for handwriting recognition and greater precision. By leveraging Panasonic’s advanced battery technology, the Toughbook C1 delivers up to ten hours of battery life, enabled by a twin hot-swappable battery design that allows for continuous use, pushing productivity in the field to a new level. The Toughbook C1 also features a shock-mounted, flex-connect 250GB hard drive with quick-release for enhanced data protection.

The Toughbook C1 is the first convertible to employ a unique triple hinge design – one set of hinges for opening and closing the screen and another hinge for rotating the screen to tablet mode. The Toughbook C1’s triple hinge design significantly reduces hinge failures (a common problem with current generation convertible tablets) by separating the two actions normally required of a single hinge. Toughbook C1 also offers a ‘hand-free’ ergonomic strap and dome hand support system that cradles the hand for comfortable long term use as well as providing a natural keyboard tilt.

Meets Needs of Medical Professionals

“One of the main markets for the Toughbook® C1 is healthcare,” said Greg Davidson, healthcare senior business development manager, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. “We have been working with our healthcare customers to design a convertible tablet that truly addressed their needs. To date, the market has been making do with tablets that fail to offer the light weight, ergonomics and battery life needed by healthcare professionals. We believe the new Toughbook C1 addresses all these issues, while offering the additional benefits of excellent performance and durability.”

Desktop Performance

The Toughbook C1 is powered by the Intel® Core™ i5-520M vPro™ Processor (2.4 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz, Intel® Smart Cache 3MB), giving the device desktop performance in a lightweight and highly mobile form factor.

“The Toughbook C1 is an example of a convertible tablet PC that has been designed for a mobile workforce,” said Erik Reid, mobile client marketing director, Intel Corporation. “Intel® Core™ i5-520M vPro™ Processor technology makes the Toughbook C1 more valuable by helping to address remote management and security issues. This creates a compelling solution for organizations that want the most out of their mobile employees.”

Real World Durability

In order to withstand the demands of a highly mobile work environment, The Toughbook C1 has been designed to endure drops, bumps and spills. The Toughbook C1 successfully survived drops of 12” from any angle for the unit itself and from 30” for the shock-mounted, flex-connect hard drive. Additionally, the Toughbook C1 survived a 30” (just over the typical height of a desk or table) drop to the base of the unit while operating. The unique Panasonic spill-resistant keyboard design protects against liquid spills of about 6 ounces (200 cc), and both the lid and base of the notebook are designed to withstand more than 225 lbs (102 Kg) of pressure. In addition, Panasonic’s commitment to quality—at both the component and finished goods level—results in a total of more than 500 checks and tests during and after production.

“An exceptional level of engineering has gone into the Toughbook C1,” said Kyp Walls, director of product management, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. “The unique triple hinge design, ‘hand-free’ ergonomic strap, twin hot-swappable battery system and quick-release HDD Pack exemplify our commitment to go beyond ‘good-enough’ and delivering products that map to how our customers use them. The Toughbook C1 sets the standard for what an enterprise convertible tablet should be.”

Embedded Wireless Connectivity

The Toughbook® C1 offers a variety of embedded wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth® 2.1 and optional Gobi2000™ mobile broadband technology from Qualcomm. Gobi simplifies complex multi-carrier wireless deployments for IT departments and allows mobile employees improved connectivity options while traveling at home or abroad. The Toughbook C1 is also designed so Wi-Fi, WiMAX and 3G mobile broadband modules can be embedded in the same unit, while allowing exceptional reception and flexibility for data access on the go. The Toughbook C1 will be certified on the Sprint and Verizon Wireless networks, allowing workers to stay connected at all times. Other wireless carrier certifications will be announced soon.

Integrated Features

To enable advanced communication and collaboration, the Toughbook C1 offers integrated features, such as an optional modem or a webcam for mobile video conferencing and a standard built-in dual array microphone for superior speech recognition. Multiple security features are also available, including options for SmartCard and fingerprint readers, to ensure sensitive data is kept secure and private.

Pricing and Availability

The Panasonic Toughbook® C1 will be available worldwide starting June 2010. In the United States, the Toughbook C1 is expected to be available at an estimated street price of $2499 from authorized Panasonic resellers and distributors.