Panasonic upgrades Toughbook tablet

The Panasonic division that makes its Toughbook notebooks today announced upgrades to its Toughbook 19 line of rugged, convertible tablets. The new Toughbook 19F now includes the Intel Core 2 Duo processor and expanded memory capabilities, just like the Toughbook 30F clamshell version. The 5.1-pound tablet also includes an optional integrated digital camera (2 megapixels), for use in "inspection and incident documentation" applications, Panasonic says. The notebook has an estimated street price of $3,199, through Toughbook resellers or the company's Web site. The version with the integrated camera will be available in May for a street price of $3,699, the company says.

Rugged features on the notebooks, which Panasonic says meet military specifications, include hard drive heaters, shock-mounting, sealed keyboards and magnesium alloy cases. The new tablet includes an anti-glare and anti-reflective sunlight display (10.4-inches with 1,024 by 768 pixels) as well.

Connectivity features on the notebook include 802.11a/b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and "mobile broadband-ready" wireless WAN (which means you get to pick which carrier the notebook connects to). The tablet also includes a backlit keyboard and built-in GPS for navigation or tracking applications. Other features include an 80GB hard disk drive, 1GB of SDRAM standard (upgradeable to 4GB), and an optional external USB combo drive.