Panasonic's Atom-based UMPC Toughbook is officially official

Panasonic just owned up to that Toughbook UMPC we spotted yesterday at CeBIT. No real surprises, the unit runs Vista on an Atom CPU, sports a 5.6-inch LCD and is slated for a Fall release.

[Eric @ Mar 5th 2008 10:50AM]

What an abomination! Just wait and see what Apple comes out with. It'll make this thing look like a Kindle in comparison.

[Zeus.:God @ Mar 5th 2008 11:15AM]

Sorry, but this isn't for rich, middle aged, Starbucks patrolling narcissists; this is for people who work for a living and need something durable. Lets say, for example, the owner of a construction company or a manufacturing officer.

Apple has nothing to do with this, nor would it have anywhere near the durability of a toughbook, and far less functionality, to boot.

[Eric @ Mar 5th 2008 11:21AM]

Yeah, I can see why Apple haters don't hear Apple saying they're positioning the iPod Touch to be a mobile platform. Or that you're not aware they fixed the scratching problem. Or that they've been working on a pad-type computer for years. Or they invented the category of potable computers (Newton).

You all are just so typical. Big and ugly means functional to you. Thick so you can't park it on your belt never means anything. Or that horrendous keyboard can't possibly be bested by what the iPod Touch has no matter how dumb the arrangement of the keys. Or that some other company might catch what Apple is up to and start producing functional computers that don't look like they're stuff is made from Legos.

No, all you can see is the word Apple and you're like bulls seeing a red cape.

[Zeus.:God @ Mar 5th 2008 11:24AM]

No, Toughbooks are made for functionality- not form. It would be pointless to release a product that is both ugly and non-functional, but that is not the case here.

It's just like the Air- Apple goes with form over function, and would no doubt be the same situation in this market.

By the way, I don't see Apple anywhere in this post- maybe you shouldn't bring it up?

[Eric @ Mar 5th 2008 11:29AM]

Maybe people need to keep bringing Apple up until other manufacturers realize that they don't have to make something ugly to be functional. Or that people who buy things can appreciate that good design is more than just looks, but is about functionality as well. Maybe manufacturers need to actually ask users how things work for them? Maybe spend another $10 on the hardware to make it fit with the way people work, rather than visa versa?

But I guess that's like expecting D&D players to not dress like geeks and take showers once in a while.

[Fraggle.Rock @ Mar 5th 2008 11:36AM]

Gentlemen, please please... no need to fight and carry on like this.

Besides, we all know that the greatest computer company ever was Amiga :-)



[chuckles to himself, wonders why people get in these little tit-for-tat disagreements on Engadget... must be something in the water]

[Christopher @ Mar 5th 2008 11:43AM]

Wow, that was one of the quickest trolliest comments ever eric. You realise that this has NOTHING to do with apple. Its something designed for a market that the iPod touch couldn't be less suitable for. I really can't tell whether you are witty parody of a fanboy, or the real thing.

[LC @ Mar 5th 2008 11:51AM]

Eric,

You can talk about what Apple has in development till you are blue in the face, but for the time being, they don`t have any rugged computers to speak of.

I`m no Apple hater, as I own both an iPhone and an iMac, so I can speak with objectivity saying that I would not use any current Apple product in a situation where it can get banged around or wet. I can give a rats ass what the computer looks like as long as it is durable and does the job.

I still haven`t decided wether you are a super fanboy or a super trollboy.

[j_g_puff @ Mar 5th 2008 11:50AM]

Eric, you've totally, totally missed the point here. Toughbooks aren't even really consumer devices. They're specialised machines aimed at a very specific market - one which values durability over everything else (including price, spec and aesthetics).

Comparing this to anything made by Apple is like comparing a Ferrari to a tank. They're two totally different solutions to two totally different problems.

It's ironic, given your hatred of 'apple haters' that you love apple enough to evangelise blindly next to an unrelated product.

[Eric @ Mar 5th 2008 12:09PM]

Allright guys, I'll concede this isn't for the market that device is aimed at. But really my main point was just how ugly someone can make something when it's not really necessary. I just threw in Apple because they seem to be the only company that makes things both functional and good looking. Why can't a tough device by some other company take a few cues without being labled shallow, simplistic or a fanboy?

I'm not being a troll, other than my use of the word abomination which was, I'll grant you, hyperbole. I guess I'm just sick of other companies not deciding good design means how things look, feel and funciton as an organic whole. But my apologies for taking it too far. Okay? Can we all be friends?

[j_g_puff @ Mar 5th 2008 12:30PM]

That was a mature apology. I'll be your friend now.

[peternj @ Mar 5th 2008 12:30PM]

Apple has not released a UMPC. It released the pathetic AIR. I have an iPhone and iTouch and MacPro 2008 and a MacBook Pro so I am a total Apple nerd but this ruggedized UMPC is for work in harsh environments. Not likely a place where I'd download Starbuck music. And frankly it looks good. It looks rugged.

Last year I bought an HP Blackbird 002 for gaming and it's amazing for design and power. HP Gaming makes all Apple computers look like the new beige box of yore.

Apple's are not the only fruit.

[ShadowMaker @ Mar 5th 2008 2:24PM]

People, let's face it. Intel's Atom chips are too big for Apple computers. Steve J. won't be happy until he can announce that for their new and smaller and lighter iWhatever they've managed to 'split the Atom' - and of course when you split an Atom you go 'BOOM'!

[Onetruebill @ Mar 5th 2008 3:39PM]

Eric...
Were you looking in a morror when you wrote this??

"What an abomination!"

Some things are not for LOOKING AT.

Do you drive a car or an image statement??

[Eric @ Mar 5th 2008 3:47PM]

Well, if there's one thing I don't claim is that I'm something worth looking at! And no, I drive a Honda.

[WTF @ Mar 5th 2008 11:01AM]

How is a MILSPEC-STD810F UMPC related at all to anything Apple will be shipping EVER? Apple has enough problems with scratches, let alone dealing with drops, moisture, etc...

Once again, what does this have to do with Apple?

[bachviet @ Mar 5th 2008 11:06AM]

Because Apple products are HAWT! ;-)

[Fraggle.Rock @ Mar 5th 2008 11:11AM]

Sweetness,

I really like the Panasonic Toughbook line, but by and large (no pun intended), their 19 and 30 series are far too heavy and unwieldy. They may be able to take the shocks, heat, moisture, etc... but they are a pain in the arse to lug around (we're talking over 5 and 9 pounds respectively). So this little CF-U1 seems to be a perfect addition to the Toughbook family.

BTW - in all likelihood, Apple could NEVER design a computer that would be MIL-STD-810F... it wouldn't look pretty enough for El Jobso :-)

[barrywoods @ Mar 5th 2008 11:41AM]

I would love for Apple to make a ruggedized laptop. They won't though. It's hard to make something look good and still survive a drop down a flight of concrete stairs. I had an Itronix laptop do just that. Got to the bottom of the stairs and it still worked. I've had to fix Apple laptops that didn't survive a three foot drop to a carpeted floor. You guys are literally trying to compare apples and oranges. The only thing they both have in common is price!

[OneLove @ Mar 5th 2008 11:51AM]

Everything is Atom-Based. lol

[Farris @ Mar 5th 2008 12:54PM]

Well done sir. +1 for you!

[Cyberdemon @ Mar 5th 2008 11:53AM]

Wow I can't believe that turned into an Apple fanboy discussion that quickly.

I'm sorry - but until you understand what all those acronyms for sealing, drop tests, etc stand for you have no idea what you're talking about. Stick your iphone in a dryer on tumble for a half hour and see how it comes out - because thats what rugged products like this are designed to do.

These are meant to be used by end users who are NOT the purchasers. Why would someone care about taking care of their work laptop if they don't own it? They don't, and its the exact reason devices like this need to be built to withstand as much destruction as possible.

[tylersmyler @ Mar 5th 2008 11:55AM]

I BET THIS THING WON'T EVEN BLEND!

APPLE YOU ARE SO PWND(officially the last time i use that word)

[EricR @ Mar 5th 2008 12:33PM]

But I bet it would blend an iPhone

[tigs @ Mar 5th 2008 12:24PM]

"the unit runs Vista on an Atom CPU"

Birth announcement or obituary? You decide.

[blacklistxhunter @ Mar 5th 2008 12:39PM]

YAY not only can u use it for all your computer needs.....

you can use it for SELF DEFENSE

*SMACK*

[hintertux @ Mar 5th 2008 1:48PM]

I love my Apple as well as my PC (rare in this world)

But some of these Apple folks need to take the superiority stick out of their backside.

I am a DOD contractor we picked up a toughbook 30 to work with vibration tests. We are setting up accelerometers on a craft and then blowing it up. Yes destroying the craft. the accelerometers will most likely survive as well as other ruggedized equipment including the tough book which will be a bit a way but still in the blast wave.

I want to see any mac take that abuse.. I have seen these things drop from 30-40 feet with out a flinch of data loss. Mostly these are used by tech types and engineers who work in bad environments. Oh by the way I am not stupid I will be behind a blast shield 100+ yards away..

[J. Klar @ Mar 6th 2008 3:07PM]

There are alternatives in the 'form vs. function' debate - OQO is not billed as a 'rugged' device like the toughbook, but with 120 Gig HDD or 64 gig SSD, 1 gig of RAM and a spectacular design, it serves the PC market well. For what it's worth, two of the designers who own patents on the G3 tower and G4 powerbook are the designers of the OQO model 01 and model 02 - http://www.oqo.com. You can have a well designed portable computer that will allow you full functionality (albeit, XP/Vista, not OS X), but that's the world we live in, right? You can't please all the people all the time....

[Nate @ Mar 7th 2008 9:46PM]

I work for a large city on the west coast and here are some examples of what the semi rugged and fully rugged line are used for.

Our police use the CF-30 in thier vehicles. A weapon accidently discharged in a vehicle and went through the laptop. IT STILL WORKS. The local panasonic rep has it now and uses it for demos.

The City Coroner has the CF-19. When it gets splashed with bodily fluids they rinse it off with a water hose and does it with alcohol. This happens daily.

I have a CF-72 in my office someone dropped from the seat of a dump truck on to asphalt, about 6 feet. It landed directly on the PCMCIA wireless card. The card is like a marracha. The slot no longer works becuase it broke the moterboard (a big crack all the way thorough)where the slot attaches. Everything else works, touch screen and all. If the card would have been internal the laptop would have survived without incident.

A director rides his road bike daily 15 miles each way rain and shine. After destroying 5 motherboards in his Toshiba Tecra S1 in less than a year we gave him a CF-50. He still has it and it has yet to fail. That was 3 years ago.