Panasonic's Atom-based UMPC Toughbook preps for shipment

Get ready, argonauts -- Panasonic's Atom-based UMPC Toughbook is gearing up to ship out soon. Since getting really official at CeBIT in March, we haven't heard a peep from Panny in regard to a definitive ship date. According to PC World, the rugged mini tablet will be loosed "later this week," and it will of course include a touch-sensitive 5.6-inch screen, compact QWERTY keypad, a variety of ports, Intel's Atom processor and a chassis built to withstand just about anything next to getting pelted with napalm. As for fleshed out specs and global ship dates, we're told to expect those on Wednesday.

[Via TG Daily]

[Reality Check @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:33PM]

Man oh man, that is one fugly computer. And if it's running Windows, it's running one ugly OS.

Ugly + Ugly = Ugly

[DefPo3t @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:55PM]

you do know that its not meant to be a fashion statement its meant for durability. you try dropping your macbook(any model), ubuntu dell, or for that matter any regular laptop/umbp/netbook( with any os) as many times as you can this and see which one works the longest, or try using those at a construction yard and see how long ur precious device last

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:10PM]

Every new ThinkPad model is tested by dropping it from 5 feet onto solid concrete, repeatedly. ThinkPads are the best engineered laptops around, there is no disputing that.

[Juice @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:19PM]

Actually he does not know what this is designed for. He thinks everything should look like something from Apple. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :P

Hopefully these won't be too expensive. But anything with durability built in is...

[stardash @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:40PM]

Why do mac fanboys always have to try to rain on everyone parade. Go live you iLife and understand that both platforms are good in their own ways. Sorry this is not a macbookipodairphoneumpc I think those come out next month. Go to the apple store and wait right now! You must be the first to get your hands on one

[silverblackvoid @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:56PM]

Reality Check: hi im Reality Check. Im a basement troll. i try to fuck up the blogs with my peanut-size-noggin-intellect. thank you.

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:40PM]

Windows isn't ugly, Windows Vista is gorgeous. ToughBooks ARE ugly, and if you want a powerful and tough computer, then a ThinkPad is the way to go.

[Hamidxa @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:42PM]

Vista is actually "prettier" than anything Apple has to offer if you want to talk about aesthetics.

Furthermore, nearly every "tough"-based product line has been ugly, so this thing certainly isn't breaking any molds or creating new ones...just maintaining the status quo.

This comes as a surprise to you?

[Hamidxa @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:44PM]

Sorry, that post was directed to Reality Check...considering his name, it's rather ironic that he posted what he did.

[natels @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:52PM]

Really Hamidxa..? Aesthetics are purely subjective, so don't add to the idiotic argument that Reality Check is fuling.

[SR @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:03PM]

Knock you ThinkPad off a table, preferably getting it to land on a corner, and then pour a pint of water into your ThinkPad keyboard. When you've done this come back and tell us how tough you consider it to be. I agree ThinkPad handle robust handling better than other devices but they don't have the drop spec or water proofing that these have

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:06PM]

My comment was for Reality Check, but I forgot to press the reply button, but Vista, in my mind, is way better looking and more functional than anything, and I say this having used Vista regularly for almost a week, and having experience with Macs (bad experiences I must add). My new ThinkPad T61 with Vista Ultimate is tough, and beautiful, and it idles with Firefox 3 and iTunes open at 5% CPU. Vista is great, it is fast, smooth, and responsive, and it is the best operating system I have used to date.

P.S.- My T61 has a 2.5GHZ Core 2 Duo and 3 GB of RAM, so that might explain why I have no complaints and only love for the OS.

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:24PM]

ThinkPads have a 3-axis accelerometer to detect when the laptop is falling or to detect shock, try playing music on a ThinkPad and hit the hard drive, and the music stops right when you hit it. The accelerometer stops the hard drive during a fall to prevent data loss. Also, new models are repeatedly dropped from five feet onto concrete to test durability, and they have a solid magnesium roll cage to also protect from falls. Also, if you flip over a ThinkPad, and look at the screwholes, you will notice some that don't have screws in them and have a water droplet symbol next to them, those are the keyboard water drains.

Sooo...
We have:
Drop Spec (Check!)
Water Protection (Check!)

ThinkPads have all the protection of the ToughBook line, without the burdening qualities (read: thick, clunky), and they are tough enough to be used on Space Shuttle missions.
Image Link:
http://a52.g.akamaitech.net/f/52/827/1d/www.space.com/images/080212-
sts122-ingress-02.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/TORU_docking_system.jpg

[MikeKlein @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:06PM]

So you've used Vista for a week and think it's the bomb?

I've used it for 5 months and think it IS a bomb. There's a reason IT depts are staying away from it like hotcakes.

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:29PM]

@MikeKlein

It has worked flawlessly for me, it is faster than XP on my machine, and all my programs work great, the interface is beautiful, it is responsive, the animations are quick and sweet. I guess my comment was downvoted because I like Vista, come on, can someone have a non-fanboy opinion without being downvoted. No, I am not completely biased towards Vista, just the problems people have complained about have been nonexistent for me, and I plan to install Ubuntu soon, but my brother had a little problem with his T61 after installing, so I want to make sure that doesn't happen.

[magnus @ Jun 23rd 2008 7:02PM]

yes, cause IT-depts are generally _the_ measure of innovation.

[Richard @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:44PM]

Tough book is not design for beauty, they are basically tank for laptop, drop proof, water proof. Not many or any laptop does the same protection as toughtbook, also is heavier, most people who use those are work in a hazard enviroment.

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:08PM]

My ThinkPad is tough, and good looking. Plus, the ToughBook laptops have always been meh in terms of specs, even though they have a significantly larger waistband than any other laptop on the market.

[insertAlias @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:31PM]

@Striker
You're still not getting it. Your Thinkpad is great, no question. But it won't stand up to the kind of punishment a Toughtbook will. Toughbooks are designed to be dropped, splashed, and generally put through hell. Thinkpads are made to be tougher than the average laptop. There's a big difference, as you probably wouldn't want your Thinkpad in a police car or in a warehouse.

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:34PM]

If my bro's ThinkPad went through college, then it was technically in a hazardous environment lol

[Striker @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:38PM]

@insertAlias

I have actually seen more ThinkPads in police cars and warehouses than ToughBooks. The Orange County Sheriff (California) Dispatch Cars use ThinkPads in the car as far as I know.

[lowdef @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:44PM]

wow how awkward would that be to type on??? oh wait its got a stylus its all good...(/sarcasm)

[Sarig @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:57PM]

I reckon you're not supposed to write novels on it.

[IT-Accountant @ Jun 23rd 2008 1:45PM]

Yes, it is unbearably ugly,

No I do not care in the least, because I am not buying one.

[Justin @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:34PM]

Panasonic's drivers (and website, for that matter) are absolute garbage. They don't sign a single thing, and they write drivers for generic PnP IDs, which wreaks havoc in the imaging world of IT.

Dear Panasonic,

Please clean up your act, before I give your Toughbook the ultimate test--the garbage disposal.

[stardash @ Jun 23rd 2008 2:57PM]

That is kind of funny, seeing that Panasonic does not make all of the hardware in their computers, and most of the drivers are from companies like ATI, Nvidia, or Intel. By the way, they make the hardware in your Panasonic laptop. I have been working in IT for quite a while and have never had an issue imaging a Panasonic. Perhaps the problems you are seeing are all user error, I figured if you worked in IT you may know how to read about issues you run into. Seems as though I assumed incorrectly. Please do a little research before you go posting things with no facts.

[fartblossom @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:12PM]

I think it would look perfect mounted in the dash of my wife's Pontiac Aztek. :P

[Justin @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:13PM]

Stardash, for reference, I do work in IT, specifically the imaging field.

While I can understand your assumption to blame it on user error, it definitely is not. I also understand your point that the hardware is made by third parties, and that's true.

My complaint is that the hardware (and drivers) are either poor choices, or that Panasonic makes influences on what hardware and software to use. In addition to writing their own software/drivers for some devices outright, they also customize a fair amount of drivers as well.

Installing the manufacturer drivers may be all well and good, but often I've found Panansonic's own drivers provided on their site are NOT digitally signed (which means they cannot be installed on a US Goverment-mandated PC anymore, which is a nightmare). In addition to this, Panasonic's hardware references generic Plug and Play IDs. For example, the trackpad. The trackpad should have a PnP ID of length to distinguish it from other hardware, such as VEN_8086&DEV_1021&SUBSYS_10010010&REV_01. This way, Windows can rank and pick the best-fit driver for that device when going through mini-setup (or installing a new device, period).

Instead, Panasonic chooses to have their touchpads return PNP0F13 as the PnP ID. That generic ID is reserved for a simple 2-button mouse in Windows. What this means it for those of us who are imaging and using sysprep (or other means) of deploying mass images, if we incorporate Panasonic's touchpad drivers, Windows will not install said drivers because they are dated and also unsigned, whereas Windows will install the Generic Mouse Driver because it's newer and signed.

Then we have to perform post-imaging operations to correct the issue to implement touchpad software capability, which means GuiRunOnce driver installations, or pushing software installation via Microsoft/Symantec or other providers.

This is only one complaint--Panasonic installs parent PCI devices which then install a myriad of child devices to monitor the toughbook, all of which are also called out on similar generic PnP IDs, which when matched with other devices, essentially wreaks havoc.

If they would simply provide up-to-date drivers, make sure they are signed, and implement thorough PnP IDs for their devices, it'd be fantastic. Right now, it's horrible.

In closing, your post is pretty hostile. Sure, my first post might've been cocky, but that doesn't mean I have no idea what I'm talking about. Panasonic is a PITA for the reasons above, and seeing as you seem to be technically inclined, I'm sure you can understand why I'm jaded with them.

[stardash @ Jun 23rd 2008 3:45PM]

After reading your elaboration your opinion makes a lot more sense. The brief post before made it seem like you were some 20 year old who looked up a few terms online to make himself sound smart. You did make some good points, while I do not work for the government and do not know all of their standards, I can see the issues you are running into. i have not been plagued with them, but I can see how it could be an issue. Sorry for coming off a bit brash.

[Firebird @ Jun 23rd 2008 8:22PM]

I just wanted to say props for actually reading and coming to understand someone else's point of view, and admiting that you might have jumped to conclusions on top of apologizing for it.

I think this is a first on the internet, or at least engadget.

I commend you sir, for being a rational, respectful human being in this wasteland of human ethics which is ruled over by anonymous fanboys tirelessly waving the banner of companies which could care less about them and the pigheaded war they wage on everyone else's opinion.

Seriously, thanks. You made me smile.

[johnzilla @ Jun 23rd 2008 4:17PM]

End of discussion.

http://lenovoblogs.com/insidethebox/?p=93

[Ficus @ Jun 23rd 2008 6:47PM]

I've been evaluating rugged UMPCs as part of my job. I got my hands on a hand assembled, pre-production unit of one of these recently and it has been one of the best units evaluated so far. Sure, it's not pretty, but it's much more usable than most other rugged UMPCs I've tested. The keyboard looks chaotic at first, but it is really nice to use. Plus it is light, powerful and has expandability options.

[JayM @ Jun 24th 2008 9:31AM]

Awesome Ficus. You still under an NDA, or do you think you could let slip some of the specs like battery life and resolution?

[Chris1051 @ Jun 24th 2008 4:57PM]

Man thats sweet. I wish I had this back in 2002-2005 when I was doing field work.

[Raymond @ Jun 26th 2008 12:18PM]

Anyone know the price range of this unit, looking to buy the Q1 Samsung today. Any commnets on Q1