Panasonic Toughpad - Fulfilling the All Professional Needs
Panasonic has
introduced a new form of ruggedness testing for its Toughpad tablets by propelling
them into space. With the Sentintospace company's help specializing in sending
and video filming of objects in near space, "had fun" sending the
portable terminal FZ-N1 and the tablet FZ-G1 attached to a weather balloon and
surrounded by cameras to film their expedition, over 34,000 meters in space.
With the Toughpad
series, the Japanese manufacturer Panasonic has three tablets on the market
that are particularly suitable for outdoor use ("ruggedized") thanks
to their robust housing. In addition to two Android devices, the portfolio also
includes the FZ-G1, a tablet with a 10.1-inch display, and Windows 8 Pro
(64-bit) as the operating system.t first glance. The Panasonic FZ-G1 looks
bulkier than typical 10-inch tablets. Still, according to Panasonic, the device
is the thinnest and lightest "full-rugged" Windows 8 tablet with this
screen size.
With a maximum
thickness of 21.8 mm and a housing size of 270 x 188 mm, it is significantly
larger than a conventional 10-inch tablet. For example, Apple's iPad 4 is
smaller at 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4 mm and, above all, barely half as thick.
.The size of the
housing is due to the protection against external influences: The inner frame
of the FZ-G1 is made of a magnesium alloy and coated with ABS plastic. The
corners are made of an elastic-plastic that feels slightly rubbery and gives
way to pressure. The Panasonic toughpad should withstand
falls from a height of 120 cm without damage. A connector for a Kensington lock
is built into one of the corners.
It is designed for
mobile professionals who need a rugged device capable of handling voice and
data in the field and harsh environments. This new 5 Panasonic toughpad will embed Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 8
Embedded, and run on Android, offering users more flexibility.
Its touch
screen is readable outdoors and usable with gloves. It is also equipped with a
high-resolution camera and a barcode reader, facilitating its use anywhere.
Two models are
planned to depend on the operating system, including voice and data options.
The Toughpad in voice version is equipped with Panasonic noise reduction
technology to ensure crystal-clear communication even in areas with high
background noise emitted by machines.
Protection against
environmental influences
The FZ-G1 is
protected against dust penetration and water jets from every direction
according to IP65. All connections are provided with tightly closing flaps.
These are more trustworthy than other devices, some of which even have a higher
protection class. The USB connection built into our FZ-G1, the HDMI output, and
the headphone socket are hidden behind a massive flap with rubber insulation,
the input for the micro SD card is behind a smaller, tightly closing flap. The
mains connection is also protected against splash water in this way.
Tested according to
military standards
The tablet not only
has IP-certified protection but also complies with the military protection
standard MIL-STD-810G. The US Department of Defense primarily uses this
standard to classify military material, but it can also be applied to civilian
products. Among other things, the resistance to water, sand, solar radiation,
impacts, cold, heat, and pressure is tested.
