If you're ready to get rough and tumble with a Santa Rosa-based Toughbook, you're almost there: Panasonic's announcing the new
CF-52's availability in the US, as well as new specs and features. There are two base configs (optimized for $2500 and standard for $1650), which feature:
- Core 2 Duo CPUs (2.0 and 1.8GHz)
- 1GB RAM (expandable to 4GB)
- 15.4-inch WUXGA or WXGA display (1920 x 1200 or 1366 x 768), enhanced 512MB grahics for Aero
- 80 or 120GB drives (shock mounted), DVD burner
- 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR (optional)
- 3G option (launches officially with Verizon exclusively for 120 days, then will have Sprint Rev. A and Cingular HSDPA support -- or add your own)
- (4) USB 2.0, PCMCIA slot, ExpressCard slot, SD reader, 1394, VGA, gigabit Ethernet, modem, serial
- TPM chip, and optional SmartCard and biometric scanner
- Spill-resistant keyboard and integrated handle
Available in July -- if you're hearty enough to carry around a 2-inch thick 7.3-pound beast of a box.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jeff @ Jun 4th 2007 3:01PM
7.3 pounds isn't much of a price to pay for the durability it offers. I never understand people whining about this anyway. Being that I'm not a 90 pound, easily-bruised and frail hipster type, carrying around a 15-20lb backpack (messenger bags are bad for your shoulders) doesn't bother me at all. If 7 pounds is a problem for you, you should probably drop that vegan diet and hit the gym, you scrawny puke.
taichan @ Jul 15th 2007 2:12AM
I am a little "puke" and i've been carrying around an 8bls Toughbook 50 for 3 years now, Its hit the floor atleast 4 times in airports, and nameless ammounts of time at home
How ever there is one good way to damage a toughbook, have a Wireless PCMCIA card in it as it crashs down onto that part of it. Killing the PCMCIA slots on the laptop, how ever the rest of it worked fine and i just upgraded the interal card from B to G (amazingly the card that was in it still worked after taking the weight of the laptop on it... just kinda bent... go linksys...)
anyways something to remember about this laptop is the toughbook 5x (aka 50 51 and now 52) line is a Semi Rugged laptop, meaning anywhere its black its Plastic not Megisum alloy like on there Toughbook 29 lines though they still have good mounts on stuff like the hard drives to keep them alive though not as good as on the Toughbook 29s (i fix these laptops for the Military hence why i bought one for myself)
Glen @ Jun 4th 2007 3:29PM
If the $1650 version is just as durable as the $2500 version, I could spring for one. I don't think I'd even use a backpack or case with one of these. I'd probably just throw it in the back floor board of the pickup as is and call it good.
jverelst @ Jun 4th 2007 5:14PM
Great look ! Like my old PowerBook 5300 c who passed away 7 years ago when I bought my iBook SE, who's now retired at my elder's sister home.
Does "tought" means "looking like "Grand Mother ?" I would redesign it squarefully and call it "Technics", the Panasonic's brand name of high tech hi-fi 20 years ago.
Wher great look means awfull