Panasonic's latest Let's note lineup, the R4, T4, W4 and Y4

Panasonic's at it again with major overhauls to their Let's note lineup (what we call the Toughbooks, over here). This round's got all their laptops rocking Sonoma, 802.11a/b/g WiFi, and integrated SD readers. The R4 is the 10.1-inch XGA screen subnotebook, with a 1.2GHz Pentium M 753; the T4 hits up the thin n' light tip with a 12-inch XGA display, an enhanced 12-hour battery, and the same 1.2GHz Pentium M 753; the W4 adds a DVD-R/RW drive to the T4—that's pretty much it; the Y4 is the most feature-rich, with a 14.1-inch SXGA+ screen, 1.5GHz Pentium M 758, DVD burner, and yet it still manages to stay at almost exactly 3.4 pounds. Yow, we won't even think about how many nines these prices are going to have

[Via Akihabara News]

[Erik Cohen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

Are we sure those are the toughbooks? They don't look like you can drive over them with a car to me?!?

[RikF @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

I remember the original toughbook line from many, many years ago. I was working at a laptop reseller at the time fixing tosh, twinhead, olivetti etc. We had a bloke ring us to tell us that he had broken his toughbook. Supprised, we asked him how he had achieved this - turns out he backed his 5 series over it. The total damage? Cosmetic to one screen hinge! Superb kit :)

RikF

[Cullen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

no way are those toughbooks...but i want one, really really really bad. that 12 inch deal is almost perfect. oh, integrated sd reader. it is perfect. wish the ring was a click wheel :x

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

Oh my, MY OH MY. These are beautiful. I have the W2, but these... well all I have to say is "Dammmmmmmmmmn!" not only do they look sexy, but they are SUPER functional! The W2 is about my favorite laptop, and to extend the screen size, speed AND battery life (12 hours?!?!? YOWZERS!!). Needless to say, I'm in love. I wantee, but I cannot even IMAGINE how expensive the Y4 is going to be, gonna take a LOT of saving, or a LOT of debt! ;)

[michael @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

they are toughbooks - just not the fully ruggedized notebooks you're thinking of (you know, the ones that are milspec). These are definitely the "semi-ruggedized" ones which, i can personally attest to, are not tough in anyway - save for the fact that the casing is decently strong. They are not spillproof, as my boss can attest to.

that said, these TBs are notoriously difficult for IT departments to manage - the drives are not modular, meaning what would be a simple HDD replace in a different notebook involves tearing apart the entire chassis - no small feat, i can assure you. Factor in the high costs of parts (a power adapter ran me ~$100 last time i looked), and the limited number of resellers who charge a severe premium, and it's a bad investment over all.

And that's a bitter pill to swallow, considering you *do* get a lot in a very small package.

[cuby @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

right. a circular touchpad. because screens are circular.

[elbow @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

more details & prices here (Japanese language)
http://www.mylets.jp

[DM @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

#1 Yea your really smart because you figured out tough=drive over with cars

#6 The Ipods screen isnt circular....

[l.st @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

#6 is just jealous because he can't afford one

so am i =(

[mm42 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

They are pretty tough by notebook standards, designed to take a 30 cm drop, and case able to support 110 lbs (R4 & Y4) or 220 lbs (W4 & T4).

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2005/0426/pana205.jpg

I own a W2 and it is a fantastic machine. 3 other guys at my office have ordered one after trying mine.

And the circular pad is great due to the circular scroll feature ...

[yeoz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

R4???
Holy crap, I just f**king ordered a R3!!!
Time to cancel that order, I guess ;(

[Joe @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

Yeoz, I wouldn't worry too much about the difference between your R3 and the new R4. The advantages are slight. The only real improvements to the R series is the sturdier casing. The W, T, and Y series are the ones that really got a boost.

Also, a tid bit of info not inclued in the Panasonic specs. The Panasonic R4's maximum RAM is actually 1.5GB RAM rather than 1GB RAM. A company called Swissbit supplies 1GB modules that can be used in the R, W, T, and Y series without issue (as well as in the JVC 741 and a number of other subnotes.)

[James K @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

Does any one know if the screens have been fixed on these things? You know, the uneven lighting issues people have written about in reviews.

[Tim @ Dec 19th 2005 12:53AM]

After purchasing the R4 a month ago, using on another vacation/business trip to Europe, and impressing investors and gypisies alike, I decided to buy the T4 for my wife. :)These Panasonics are really fantastic! (Now if I could only get Mac OSX for Intel on it. In a year or two perhaps.)I only wish the W4 (the one with the built-in DVD-RW) had the same battery life as the T4 and the R4. See the units here:
http://www.kemplar.com/panasonic_r4.php
http://www.kemplar.com/panasonic_t4.php
http://www.kemplar.com/panasonic_w4.php See the significant drop in battery life from the W4 to the T4. Pretty big difference. Now, the question is: "Does the optical drive REALLY suck up that much power? In this day and age?" ANy thoughts as to why?