Today Panasonic has expanded their Toughpad lineup with the new 7-inch JT-B1 Toughpad which brings military grade construction and toughness in a new smaller form factor. Similar to the 10-inch predecessor, the JT-B1 has been designed to meet MIL-STD-810G durability certifications and IP-65 specifications for protection. Basically that means that this thing is tough and you could probably run it over with your car and it would still work fine. Which is probably why it’s called the Toughpad.
The spec list for the JT-B1 Toughpad includes:
- Android 4.0
- TI OMAP 4460 1.5GHz dual-core processor
- 16GB internal storage; expandable via micro SD
- 1GB of RAM
- 7-inch display at a 1024×600 resolution
- 13MP rear-facing camera, and a 1.3MP front-facing camera
- 5,720mAh battery (lasts 8 hours)
- Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Optional 4G LTE and 3G
- 1.2lbs in weight
- 8.7-inch x 5.1-inch x 0.7-inch in dimensions
This new Toughpad from Panasonic isn’t going to be the greatest looking tablet around or the cheapest. It’ll cost you $1,199 and will be available in February. But it’s just about indestructible. It’s a great alternative for first responders, construction workers, warehouse and industrial work and other tablet-dangerous environments. This new 7-inch Toughpad is meant to take a beating. Panasonic is hoping for a 80-percent market penetration with this new Toughpad.
Panasonic also has a 10-inch Windows 8 based Toughpad that’ll be available for $2,899. There’s also a 10-inch Android Toughpad that will cost you $1,299 and it’s on sale right now. The Toughpad FZ-A1 is the 10-inch Android-powered tablet from Panasonic which has 4G LTE connectivity for Verizon. All three of these Toughpad’s will come with a three-year warranty from Panasonic.
So it’s not the prettiest looking tablet, or even the highest spec’d one around. But for those working in tablet-dangerous environments, this is probably the tablet for you. It is running Ice Cream Sandwich, it’s not the latest version of Android, but I guess it’s better than running Gingerbread? Are there any construction workers, or first responders that are planning on picking up this device? Let us know in the comments below.