Do not be fooled by the look of Panasonic’s two new tablets. Yes they may look like a smartphone with a huge rugged case surrounding the body, but in all actuality they are tablets. The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-E1 and Toughpad FZ-X1 are handheld tablets with 5 inch screens that are aimed for for people who work outdoors. The durable tablets can withstand extreme temperatures, 10 foot drops, and can be dropped in water for 30 minutes and still operate. With a $1799 price tag, the Toughpads are available with wifi or LTE versions.
The Toughpad FZ-E1 runs Windows Embedded 8.1 Handheld and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series 2.3GHz Quad Core processor. The Toughpad FZ-X1 is powered by Android 4.2.2 Jellybean and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series 1.7GHz Quad Core processor. Both of the devices feature a 1280 x 720 pixel anti-reflective LCD displays, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The tablets also include a microSD card slot, bluetooth, NFC, and an optional 3G or 4G. Other optional features include a barcode reader and as well as a magnetic strip reader. The tablets have a 6200mAh battery that offers 14 hours of battery life with continuous use. Thats really impressive for this rugged piece of machinery.
The hardware on these two devices may not be up to par with the newest gadgetry available in the market but there’s more that these bad boys can do. In addition, a “built-in heater turns on automatically in cold temperatures to keep the battery warm, allowing the unit to boot up in atmospheric temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit,” said Kyle Day, senior product manager at Panasonic. Compared to other devices on the market, the toughpads can withstand any weather and won’t get battery shot by the cold or overheat in the summer. With a 1.2 inch thickness and weighing in at 15 ounces, these tablets are quite heavy. But with the thickness and heaviness comes toughness and durability.
So remember, do not be fooled by the look of these large devices. They may be thick and heavy but the durability and weather resistance make them good devices to withstand mother nature. The Toughpad FZ-E1 Windows model is slated to launch in August for $1,849, while the Toughpad FZ-X1 Android Model will go on sale for $1,799 in the same month.
