Panasonic announces the semi-rugged Toughbook 54 laptop

Panasonic Toughbook 54 Sets New Standard For Semi-rugged Laptops

Powerful and portable Toughbook 54 is thinnest and lightest in its class

NEWARK, NJ, February 13, 2015 – Panasonic, an industry leader in reliable and innovative mobile computers since 1996, today announced the Toughbook^® 54. As the thinnest and lightest semi-rugged laptop in its class¹, the Toughbook 54 is a highly portable tool for mobile professionals who need durability, power and feature sets beyond what a standard consumer laptop can offer. With a 5^th Generation Intel^® Core™ i5 vPro™ processor, 11 hours of battery life² – 18 hours with an optional hot-swappable second battery² – and a wide range of integrated options, the Toughbook 54 is a reliable and versatile tool for mobile workers in demanding markets such as video production, insurance, utilities, construction, field service, public safety and government.

The Toughbook 54 is the latest in Panasonic’s line of products that created and continues to define the semi-rugged category. Offering enhanced security, a full magnesium alloy case with handle, and resistance to spills and drops, the Toughbook 54 is purpose-built for professionals who spend a significant amount of time working from the road or in the outdoors. For professionals who need power in addition to rugged portability, the Toughbook 54 is available with discrete graphics, dual drives, up to 16GB of memory, and a 1080p full HD display and webcam. Four models will be available to meet customer demand – Lite, Prime, Gloved Multi Touch and Performance – with each one designed to assure a high long-term return on investment for a diverse range of businesses and government agencies.

“A significant portion of the workforce spends more time on the road than they do behind a desk, and they need technology tools purpose-built for them,” said Anthony Mungiello, Toughbook product manager, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. “With the Toughbook 54, we incorporated the latest technological advances to design a tool for these workers that was most portable and advanced of its kind, without sacrificing on the reliability Panasonic is known for.”

Panasonic Toughbook 54: Key Features

·         Highly Portable Design: 2 pounds lighter and 0.5” thinner than the nearest semi-rugged competitor

·         Semi-rugged and Reliable: MIL-STD-810G and IP5x magnesium alloy design with built-in handle. Tested by an independent third-party lab to survive 3 foot drops on 26 faces; features port covers, a spill-resistant keyboard, touchpad, hinges and display. The Toughbook 54 offers improved vibration resistance and uses tough magnesium alloy in more areas as compared to our similar models such as the Toughbook 53.

·         Next-Generation Processor: 5th Generation Intel^® Core™ i5-5300U vPro™ Processor (3MB cache, 2.3GHz up to 2.9GHz with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology)

·         Powerful Graphics Processor: Intel^® HD Graphics 5500 (all models); AMD FirePro™ M5100 graphics (Performance model) which offers more than double the graphics performance of the similar Toughbook 53 when comparing 3DMark Fire Strike benchmarks.

·         Full-Shift Battery Life: Up to 11 hours of continuous use² (Prime and Gloved Multi Touch models); up to 18 hours² with optional media bay second battery. Lite model offers up to 8 hours² of continuous use.

·         Enterprise-Grade Memory & Storage: 4-16GB RAM (8-16GB on Performance model); 500GB shock-mounted flex-connect hard drive with heater for cold temperature operation. Optional 128GB SSD, 256GB SSD and 1TB 7200rpm HDD with heaters. For even more storage and/or convenient backups, the Toughbook 54 is the first Panasonic notebook to offer optional dual drives² – 128GB or 256GB SSD with heaters.

·         Advanced Operating System: Windows 8.1 Pro Update 64-bit or Windows 7 Professional (available through downgrade rights from Windows 8.1 Pro)

·         Optional 1000 nit Touchscreen: 10-point capacitive Gloved Multi Touch model with stylus available. Panasonic is one of the few manufacturers that has been able to offer the smooth operation of a capacitive display but still allow users to choose to keep their gloves on if they need.

·         High Resolution Displays: 14.0” IPS 1080p full HD display (Gloved Multi Touch and Performance models) or 768p HD display (Lite and Prime models) 

·         High Resolution Webcam: To go along with the available 1080p full HD display, the Toughbook 54 offers an optional 1080p webcam³ for crystal-clear video conferences. 

·         Faster Typing & Night Time Use: Standard on all models except for the Lite model, an emissive backlit keyboard³ offers four levels of brightness for uses to adjust their keyboard brightness setting from a soft light to a warm glow for easy typing at night or in darkened settings. Plus, the rounded ergonomic keys allow for faster typing with less chance for errors.

·         Improved Speakers: To help combat with the noise outdoors or inside vehicles, the speakers in the Toughbook 54 (up to 91 dB) are now twice as loud as similar models such as the Toughbook 53. For comparison, a Boeing 737 at 1 nautical mile before landing is 97 dB and a diesel train at 45mph from 100 feet is 83 dB.

·         Dependable Connectivity: USB 3.0 (x3), Bluetooth 4.0 (class 1), Intel^® Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; optional 4G LTE multi carrier wireless broadband with satellite GPS;optional dedicated GPS (u-blox)³ and antenna pass through³

·         Wirelessly Stream Content: Intel^® Wireless Display (WiDi) allows easy and secure presenting without the need for any video cables on displays that either have Intel WiDi built in or have an adapter plugged in.

·         Enhanced Security: Trusted platform module (TPM) 1.2, Computrace^® theft protection, cable lock slot, supports multiple variations of dual-form authentication with optional fingerprint^3,4, insertable and contactless^3,4 SmartCard readers.

·         Additional Options⁴: DVD drive, true serial port³, VGA, PC Card³, 2^nd LAN³, rugged Fischer® USB port³.

For a full list of specifications and more detailed information, visit http://us.panasonic.com/toughbook/54. 

¹ As of February 13, 2015, compared to 14.0” semi-rugged laptops

² per MobileMark 2007 testing; battery life depends on model and usage conditions

³ Not available on Lite model

⁴ Not all options are available together

Pricing and Availability

The Panasonic Toughbook 54 is available this month from authorized Panasonic resellers at an estimated street price of $1,499. The Toughbook 54 includes a standard three-year limited warranty.

Sales inquiries for Panasonic’s mobile computers should be directed to sales.psc(at)us.panasonic.com or 877-803-8492.

Follow the Toughbook^® Brand:

The Panasonic Toughbook brand can be followed on various social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter (@Toughbook),YouTube, Flickr and our blog, Panasonic for Business.

Panasonic Solutions for Business

Panasonic delivers game-changing technology solutions that deliver a customized experience to drive better outcomes—for our customers and our customers’ customers. Panasonic engineers reliable products and solutions that help to create, capture and deliver data of all types, where, when and how it is needed. The complete suite of Panasonic professional solutions for government and commercial enterprises of all sizes addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, visual communications (projectors, displays, digital signage) and HD video production. Panasonic solutions for business are delivered by Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation.

All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic solutions for business can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at us.panasonic.com/business-solutions/.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America

Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand’s 2014 annual “Best Global Green Brands” report, Panasonic ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report. As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, built to meet LEED certification standards, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ.  Learn more about Panasonic at www.panasonic.com.

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