Toughpad Line Gets Stronger

Panasonic expanded its line of enterprise-grade tablets with the introduction of the Toughpad FZ-G1, a 10" tablet featuring Windows 8 Pro, and the availability of the Toughpad JT-B1, a 7" Android-powered unit. The units debuted at the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas.

These devices follow the original 10" Android-powered Toughpad FZ-A1 which became broadly available late last year.

Toughpad tablets are frequently used by workers in fields such as the military, construction, healthcare, public safety, utilities, retail, maintenance, supply chain logistics and insurance. The devices enable inventory control, eForms, field sales, field service, route delivery, eCitations, electronic medical records, inspections, mobile point-of-sales and GIS.

Ruggedness
Tablets are MIL-STD-810G tested for drops, fluid ingress and temperature, to ensure they deliver reliable performance under circumstances that normally render devices non-operational. The FZ-G1 has been designed to withstand a four-foot drop and temperatures ranging from 14  to 122°F; the JT-B1 has been designed to withstand a five-foot  drop, and operate in temperatures from 14 to 122°F.

The FZ-G1 features a third Generation Intel Core i5-3437U v Processor with Intel Turbo Boost Technology.  Memory is 128-256GB SSD, 4-8GB RAM, with optional micro SDXC.  The JT-B1 runs on a TI OMAP4460 1.5GHz Dual core processor. Each is Bluetooth and 4G LTE capable.

Both devices feature daylight viewable screens, user-replaceable or serviceable batteries and multiple options for peripheral connectivity. A stylus for signature capture and handwriting is available on the FZ-G1 and FZ-A1 with third party apps.

Security and Support
Security features like encryption, IPsec VPN, trusted boot, root protection and FIPS compliance are available in various configurations of the FZ-A1 and JT-B1. Compatibility with mobile device management (MDM) tools are also available to allow IT managers to manage applications, secure devices from unauthorized use and perform other tasks.

Toughpad tablets are supported by an enterprise-focused app store, developer tools and deployment support. Panasonic also offers a full set of enterprise-grade accessories to support the line, including cases, mounts, printers, keyboards, magnetic stripe readers, smart card readers and multi-unit storage and charging solutions.

The Toughpad FZ-G1 will be available in March starting at $2,899. The 7” Android-powered Toughpad JT-B1 will ship in February starting at $1,199.