Panasonic Toughbook tablet eyes enterprise

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Panasonic Toughbook tablet rugged

Panasonic has announced it will deliver a rugged 10-inch Android tablet, aimed at business users, before the end of 2011.

The device will launch under the auspices of the company's Toughbook range and is targeted at the enterprise with features such as hardware-embedded security.

"The vast majority of tablet devices — regardless of the OS — are engineered for consumers and don't offer appropriate levels of security and durability or the functionality needed for business use," Rance Poehler, president of Panasonic Solutions Company, said in a statement on Thursday.

Panasonic is hoping the device will appeal to a range of users, such as government personnel, IT managers and mobile workforces.

Also on ZDNet UK: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Special Edition.

Published: June 17, 2011 -- 15:47 GMT (08:47 PDT)
Photo by: Panasonic

Caption by: Ben Woods
Panasonic Toughbook tablet front-facing camera

Eschewing the usual high-gloss screen of other tablets such as the BlackBerry PlayBook and Apple iPad 2, the Toughbook tablet features a high-brightness, "daylight viewable" 10.1-inch multitouch display. The device will also come with an active stylus to allow sales and customer-service workers to capture signatures.

It will also include GPS, "professional-grade accessories", long-life battery and the option of embedded 3G or 4G connectivity where available, the company said. The image above also appears to show a front-facing camera, presumably for video calling.

Unsurprisingly, given its Toughbook heritage, the device is also intended to stand up to more bumps and knocks than a standard consumer device.

Also on ZDNet UK: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Special Edition.

Published: June 17, 2011 -- 15:47 GMT (08:47 PDT)
Photo by: Panasonic

Caption by: Ben Woods
Panasonic Toughbook tablet camera

Other device details, such as which version of Android the Toughbook will run and processor specifications, are as yet unknown, but the image above does clearly show a flash-enabled camera on the rear of the device.
Pricing and release details were not available at the time of writing, but Panasonic said the device is set to launch in the fourth quarter of 2011.

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Published: June 17, 2011 -- 15:47 GMT (08:47 PDT)
Photo by: Panasonic

Caption by: Ben Woods

1 of 3 NEXT PREV

Panasonic has said it will launch a rugged 10-inch Android tablet aimed at the enterprise before the end of the year

Panasonic Toughbook tablet rugged

Panasonic has announced it will deliver a rugged 10-inch Android tablet, aimed at business users, before the end of 2011.

The device will launch under the auspices of the company's Toughbook range and is targeted at the enterprise with features such as hardware-embedded security.

"The vast majority of tablet devices — regardless of the OS — are engineered for consumers and don't offer appropriate levels of security and durability or the functionality needed for business use," Rance Poehler, president of Panasonic Solutions Company, said in a statement on Thursday.

Panasonic is hoping the device will appeal to a range of users, such as government personnel, IT managers and mobile workforces.

Also on ZDNet UK: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Special Edition.

Published: June 17, 2011 -- 15:47 GMT (08:47 PDT)

Caption by: Ben Woods

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