Panasonic's H1 Mobile Clinical Assistant gets release date, price, music video

Remember that medical tablet Panasonic revealed at IDF earlier this year? No? Well, it happened. Details were pretty hard to come by then, but the company's officially announced the product as the H1 tablet. The fully ruggedized slate is built on familiar netbook internals with a 1.86 GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, an 80GB SSD, a 10.4-inch 1024 x 768 resolution LCD display with an InPlay Technologies digitizer, and 802.11a/b/g/n. It's going to be available in January of 2009 for a somewhat staggering $2,799, though the figure is less painful when you consider that awesome custom handle on the back. If you can't get enough tedious details about devices such as this, you're in luck: hit the read link for a serious plethora of information in the press releases, and check out the awesome educational video they've released after the break. We think you'll find it has a lot to offer in terms of production values and soundtrack.

Update: We were contacted by a rep for Panasonic, and it turns out that the H1 is going to run you $2,999, not $2,799.

[Via Gotta Be Mobile]

[Jesse S @ Nov 4th 2008 4:14PM]

Next time on 24:

Jack Bauer has to save the server from a TERRORIST PLOT!

[Samboini @ Nov 4th 2008 4:16PM]

Don't bother posting a comment iEye, it isn't an Apple product.

[Jash Sayani @ Nov 4th 2008 4:16PM]

Just the cost of a Modbook (Tablet MacBook)......

[tom @ Nov 4th 2008 8:52PM]

2799 is a fair price actually. Medical equipments are never cheap. When medical equipments are on sale, you know they are obsolete and no good.

Plus, the customers are likely clinics and hospitals. Panasonic knows they can rip them off big time. =D Plus, there are no competition yet, I don't think

[wxrman @ Nov 4th 2008 4:19PM]

Sad ripoff of the Motion Tablet design for hospitals.

[TechGuy @ Nov 4th 2008 5:59PM]

Both the Motion product and the Toughbook product are based on Intel’s reference architecture. From the stories I’ve seen this beats the Motion product on battery life, warranty, durability, connectivity, sanitization, etc. I guess first isn’t always best!

[Pega @ Nov 4th 2008 4:20PM]

F*ck that shizzle

[Patriks7 @ Nov 4th 2008 4:25PM]

Now some company will release the I1...

[phanbouy fan fan @ Nov 4th 2008 4:27PM]

phanbouy fan's powers of sarcastic mockery make me wet!

[Ross @ Nov 4th 2008 5:07PM]

...I'm not disturbed at all by that comment...

[MarbleMind @ Nov 4th 2008 4:32PM]

Yay, a TI Speak & Spell with touch screen.

Seriously though, I don't think this thing deserves to be ridiculed, if it helps hospitals improve their medical services. The handle system is pretty cool and with 3.4 lbs, this might just replace the good ol' clipboard. Though I hope they give hospitals some serious discount, at least on bulk orders. Else, it is rather unlikely that an ordinary mortal patient will ever see a nurse walk around with one of these.

[Samboini @ Nov 4th 2008 4:35PM]

I look forward to the 5th generation or similar of these when they will be so much smaller, lighter and capable of even more. I want the future now!

[sr @ Nov 4th 2008 7:58PM]

It seems to have an RFID reader. I can't wait until the day patient tabs have an RFID chip with all patient details.

[Matt @ Nov 4th 2008 4:42PM]

+1 on the Motion Tablet ripoff

I'm all for new medical tech and I know it will better healthcare... I'm still worried about the general public's reaction when doctors diagnose them using what look like white speak'n'spells.

[Chad @ Nov 4th 2008 4:57PM]

Medical electronics fall under a different set of rules than consumer products and require tons more testing to be released for their intended use. If a patient is injured/dies and it can even be hinted that the whiz-bang gizmo was to blame there will be a long line of lawyers to the patient/survivor's door going after the Dr. AND the manufacturer. Companies that provide these devices know this and build a legal defense fund into the price of every unit. Aesthetics take last place over durability and usability.

[lejupp @ Nov 4th 2008 5:09PM]

Faye is kinda hot!

[DrPhil @ Nov 4th 2008 6:45PM]

Home health visit

Diagnosis: Kartagener syndrome

AM I CORRECT?

[Deusexx @ Nov 4th 2008 7:08PM]

Wow, Grey's Anatomy goes geeky!

[joe the plumber @ Nov 4th 2008 7:24PM]

wow

I want to be a doctor noW !!!

[Whitelab @ Nov 4th 2008 11:48PM]

Goodness that video is bad - apart from the sarcastic guy playing the patient! And it clearly stopped working when it fell off the desk. As for Chad's comment - it runs on Vista so they clearly aren't taking safety that seriously...

[brian @ Nov 5th 2008 1:19AM]

It actually blows the Motion away, see the few MAJOR factors the Motion doesn't have:
Fully sealed, can be dis-infected, and battery life.. these items seem pretty important.