Panasonic's Toughbook R6: a 10.4-inch, 2-pound laptop for riot grrrlz
The words "ultra-portable" and "rugged" are seldom used to describe the same laptop. However, Panasonic just loosed an oxymoronic edition of the Toughbook on to an unsuspecting public. The R6 weighs just 930-grams (2.05-pounds) yet packs a drip-proof keyboard and gutsy shell capable of withstanding a fall from up to 76-cm (2.5-feet) without giving up the ghost. Panny's new fanless laptop features a 10.4-inch, 1024x768 (XGA) display, a 1.06GHz U2400 Core Duo processor, up to 1.5GB of memory and 120GB of disk, and Intel 945GSM Express graphics. It also packs an SD slot, 802.11a/b/g, 8-hour battery, and room for expansion via a PCMCIA slot and 2x USB 2.0. It's a bit chubbier than that picture suggests at a meaty 29.4~42.4-mm (1.16~1.67-inches) thick wedge. Fully equipped, this tough little waif will set you back about ¥240,000 (nearly $2,000) in your choice of platinum, very red, blue apple, pink petal, white air, or black stone -- the perfect accessory to your Sleater-Kinney.
