Panasonic's Toughbook FZ-T1 is a Snapdragon 210-powered rugged handheld priced at $1,500

Panasonic is one of the big players in the rugged electronics industry, and their Toughbook brand is one of the more famous names in that arena. “Rugged” computers and tablets are markedly different than their consumer counterparts; while manufacturers like Apple and Samsung value aesthetics and performance first and foremost, rugged devices tend to focus on longevity and specialized features. The Toughbook FZ-T1 is Panasonic’s latest entry into this market, but the Android handheld won’t come cheap, in spite of its relatively weak internals.

Here are the specs:

• Display: 5-inch 1280x720, 10-finger multitouch
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 210
• RAM: 2 GB
• Storage: 16 GB (w/ microSD expansion)
• H x W x D: 6” x 2.9” x 0.5 “
• Weight: 8.5 oz (~240 g)
• Battery: 3,200 mAh, hot-swappable, advertised 12-hour life

The FZ-T1 looks fairly low-end on paper due to the slower SD 210 SoC beating at its heart, but that’s not really the point of the device. Durability is the name of the game here, and to that end, Panasonic claims the FZ-T1 is MIL-ST-810G rated and can be in temperatures ranging from -10° C to 50° C. The handheld also comes with a built-in GPS module and support for several enterprise accessories like barcode readers and holsters. The inclusion of a large hot-swappable battery may also be a selling point for some enterprise consumers.

Interested buyers will need to be willing to shell out quite a bit of cash, however. Panasonic will be releasing two variants of the handheld, one with 4G cellular connection and one with WiFi only. The WiFi-only model will start at USD $1500, while the 4G variant (the one that can actually make phone calls) will sell for $1600. The WiFi model is expected to go on sale in the UK in August with the 4G FZ-T1 launching the next month. There is no word on availability stateside at this time.

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