Panasonic wins “Tough” award for notebook

LAPTOP MAGAZINE NAMES PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK 52 NOTEBOOK EDITORS’ CHOICE FOR ROAD WARRIORS, FIELD WORKERS Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, manufacturer of durable, reliable Panasonic Toughbook® mobile computers, today announced it has received the LAPTOP Magazine Editors’ Choice Award in the magazine’s semi-rugged notebook round-up in the January, 2008 issue.      The Editor’s Choice review describes the Panasonic Toughbook 52 as “an excellent choice for those requiring a durable road-ready notebook” highlighting its “stunning widescreen display, better-than-average graphics, and generous array of ports.”  The LAPTOP review named the durable and reliable mobile computer “the best choice for both field service personnel and accident-prone road warriors”.  The Toughbook 52 notebook successfully endured the LAPTOP Magazine editors’ three-foot drops and spill tests without damage.   The Panasonic Toughbook 52 notebook is an affordable double-duty desktop replacement PC, matching significant computing power with durable features, including a shock-mounted hard drive, magnesium alloy case, and spill-resistant keyboard and touchpad to defend data against the risks of mobility. The Toughbook 52 includes a wireless-ready design for mobile broadband connectivity as well as 802.11 WiFi and Bluetooth options.  Like all Toughbook notebooks, the Toughbook 52 includes a standard 3 year warranty and US-based customer support for the life of the product.  “Panasonic has been creating, delivering and supporting the most reliable mobile computing solutions for 15 years and the Toughbook 52 is a terrific example of how we provide tools ideal for mobile workers in a variety of environments, from extreme to mainstream,” said Kyp Walls, director, product management, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company.   Pricing and AvailabilityThe wireless-ready Toughbook 52 is now available in two configurations, standard (estimated street price of $1,699) or optimized for improved video and Vista-performance, including a faster CPU, 512MB dedicated VRAM and a larger 120GB hard drive (estimated street price of $2,499).