Panasonic joins education laptop market with 3E convertible device

Back in April, Intel trotted out its Education 2-in-1 reference design for a convertible laptop that is designed for student use. Today Panasonic has announced one of the first commercial versions of that design in the form of the 3E hybrid tablet.

Built around Intel's Z3740D quad-core Atom processor, the 3E (which is short for Panasonic's "engage students, empower teachers, enable IT" tagline) runs Windows 8.1 and comes with 2GB of RAM, 1,366x768 10-inch touchscreen, integrated 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, stylus, and either 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage. Panasonic claims 8 hours of battery life between charges, and there's an optional keyboard that includes a built-in battery for extra juice. 

Taking into consideration the rough-and-tumble handling from students, the Education 2-in-1 design calls for ruggedized features like drop resistance up to 70 centimeters (roughly 28 inches) and water and dust resistance that meets the IP51 standard.

Also part of the reference design, and included with the 3E, are educational add-ons like a temperature sensor probe and a magnification lens. The front- and rear-facing cameras can also be used with IntelliSense's Lab Camera and Media Camera applications to create videos for educational projects.

Other scholastic software installed on the 3E includes SPARKvue for data analysis, ArtRage for digital painting, and Kno interactive textbooks. Students also get Microsoft OneNote for note-taking, and classroom management software is included to allows teachers and administrators to share information with pupils.

No pricing has been announced for the 3E, but it's part of Panasonic's connected classroom solutions, which includes the company's projectors, interactive whiteboards, and professional displays. It's also offering IT consulting services and professional development programs to help integrate this technology into K-12 schools.