Panasonic has updated its Toughbook 31 laptop

The Japanese consumer electronics manufacturer, Panasonic, has reportedly displayed its refreshed rugged Toughbook 31 laptop at a media event in New York, USA. The company claims that the “reliable” notebook offers the highest performance in its class, complemented by the world’s most rugged design.

The Toughbook 31 ships with a drop shock protection and is IP65 and MIL-STD-810G compliant, which means that it should be capable of operating in extreme temperatures. Furthermore, the device can supposedly withstand multiple free drops to concrete and is fully protected against vibration, as well as dust and water ingress.

Configuration

The new laptop is equipped with a 13.1-inch XGA LED-backlit touch-screen display that has a maximum supported resolution of 1024-by-768 pixels. In addition, this 1200-nit brilliant panel comes with Panasonic’s CircuLumin technology that delivers full-circle visibility “from the brightest sunlight to pitch darkness.” The entry-level model is built around a Core i3 processor, but customers can order the new Toughbook with up to an Intel Sandy Bridge Core i5-2540M vPro central processing unit, clocked at 2.6GHz (goes up to 3.3GHz with Turbo Boost). This dual-core chip has 35W max. TDP and is ranked 27 in our CPU Benchmark List.

Users can switch between the integrated Intel GMA 3000 and an ATI Radeon HD 5650 graphics controller. The latter offers 1GB of dedicated VRAM and operates at 450-650MHz. Moreover, the rugged portable PC houses 2-to 8GB of internal memory and packs a 320GB rotating hard drive (an optional 256GB SSD is also available).

Connectivity

Customers can stay connected thanks to the built-in Intel 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth v2 + EDR modules. The device can also be purchased with optional LTE 4G and Gobi 2000 support.

Furthermore, the Toughbook 31 comes with four USB ports (one is USB 3.0), HDMI and VGA interface, a memory card reader and docking connectors.

Other specs, pricing

Panasonic will ship their latest notebook with a pre-installed Windows 7 Professional OS (32 or 64 bit). Additionally, this rugged PC weighs 8.2lbs with the integrated 8550mAh battery (up to 8 hours) and features an HDD lock, a fingerprint reader for enhanced security and a built-in GPS.

 Reportedly, the Toughbook 31 will be available in June of this year, priced at about US $3,300.

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