Handy Tips For Buying A Toughbook
Written by Rachael Eddingsonton   
Thursday, 05 February 2009 14:20
You may have heard something about the Panasonic Toughbook. It's the notebook computer that'll take anything you can dish out. However, it comes with a price tag that can make potential buyers less sure about it.
by RachaelEddingsonton


You may have heard something about the Panasonic Toughbook. It's the notebook computer that'll take anything you can dish out. However, it comes with a price tag that can make potential buyers less sure about it.

It's natural to wonder whether these computers are worth their high price tag. Here's an examination of what Toughbooks have to offer, and a discussion of whether or not they really justify their price.

Most of the time, when we talk about natural selection, laptops aren't involved. But if you were to leave a handful of regular laptops in a harsh environment for a few months, the Toughbook would probably survive.

There are several varieties of Toughbook, from the fully rugged to the semi rugged. Fully rugged Toughbooks are the priciest, but they'll withstand almost anything.

These machines can deal with being dropped from nearly a meter up, being left in the rain, dropped in the dust or covered in mud. The US military uses them, and one Toughbook is even said to have saved the life of its user.

Newer Toughbooks, despite their size and durability, are even quite light and relatively small. They're not as light as the thinnest new laptops, but at 2.25 kilograms, these new notebooks are very slim for their strength.

These computers were built for use in some of the most extreme environments on earth, using touch screens and styluses to save trouble with touch pads, solid metal catches for the lid, and bright screens that are readable in the dark or in full daylight. Magnesium alloy housings are strong but light, and you can drop the computer without a scratch on the screen.

Some of the newer Toughbooks even offer a release catch below the screen that lets you rotate it for tablet style use. That lets field engineers and other professions use them to log data in the field. It's possible to custom build a Toughbook, so it has only the applications you need, too.

Most models come with ordinary keys, but some have larger keyboards to allow for typing when wearing gloves. Each port and connector is dust and waterproof and the right side of the chassis has two hinged doors to conceal the battery and removable hard disk.

These hard disks are enclosed in shock resistant cages so that even a fall won't damage them, and you'll find every slot and port well protected. Memory and CPU speed are a little behind the newest technology, since well tested hardware that's known for durability must be used. However, most people don't mind the slight speed drop, since the hardware is made to last.

Toughbooks also come with wireless capabilities, including integrated Bluetooth and high quality wi-fi adapters providing support for multiple bandwidths. Wireless has been around in Toughbooks since long before the rest of computing knew about it.

A long battery life means you can use your Toughbook all day without a recharge, too. There's almost nothing a Toughbook can't deal with.

So, these might be pricey computers from the average user's standpoint, but if you need a computer that goes above and beyond what an ordinary laptop can, they're a great choice. Anyone who needs portable computing that can take a licking should choose a Toughbook from Panasonic.

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