At the IFA Electronics Show in Berlin, Panasonic unveiled two new handheld devices. The FZ-E1 which runs Windows and the FZ-X1 which runs our favorite software, Android. The devices bring together the size of a handheld smartphone, and the ruggedness for taking the tablet out into the field for work. The devices are designed for mobile workers that work in Transportation and Logistics, postal services such as USPS and UPS, and also emergency and public safety services. With its rugged design, these tablets can withstand a 3 meter drop distance, operate in -20°C to +60°C, and will last a very long time. According to Panasonic’s General Manager of Marketing Jan Kaempfer, “They may be small but these latest Panasonic Toughpads are the toughest, most powerful and longest lasting in their class and address the key challenges of businesses wishing to deploy the most mobile work devices.”
In addition to Kaempfers statement, he also added that ” They have a crystal clear, sunlight readable HD touchscreen display for easy use, a powerful Qualcomm® Quad Core Processor to handle the latest applications with ease, the broadest range of business configuration options and a 1,000 hours standby, hot swappable battery to work in the field as long as required.” Thats really impressive for a device that is geared for the workforce. Now since we’re Android fanatics, we’re going to go over some of the specs for the FZ-X1 which runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
To start off the FZ-X1 runs off a Qualcomm Quad Core Processor that clocks in at 1.7GHz. The RAM on this device is 2GB and the native storage that can be found is 32GB. The screen on the X1 is a 5 inch HD display with 1280 x 720 screen resolution. Another cool feature with the screen is that you can still use the device with gloves on. You can also still use the touch interface when it rains so the water won’t interfere with what you’re doing. Just like the rest of the smartphones available on the market, the FZ-X1 has 4G LTE capabilities for the fastest speeds. Also expect 14 hours of battery life, so you can keep this bad boy running all day while delivering packages, transporting goods, or anything else that will require a mobile computer. The new rugged line of handhelds by Panasonic are a game changer. The FZ-E1 and the FZ-X1 brings the best of both worlds and puts them in one device that can operate in any weather.
