Panasonic's Tough Handheld Computer

Whether you work out in the wild or your just one of those clumsy folks who tend to drop your expensive electronic gadgets, a handheld computer that can take lots of abuse could be just the ticket. While "ruggedized" gear tends to cost substantially more, it could save you money in the long run if consider replacing things you break (along with lost data) a couple of times a year. Panasonic just told us about its latest in ruggedized computing tools, the Toughbook 01 portable computer. The Toughbook 01 should become available around Q4 of this year and was designed to comply with MIL STD 810 E environmental test procedures for drop shock and moisture resistance. It also has sealed port and connector covers, a scratch resistant case, and internally powered support for nationwide wide area wireless communications including DataTAC (Motient Network), Mobitex (Cingular Interactive), and CDPD. As for the guts of the thing, it makes use of an 206MHz Intel Strong ARM SA-1110 processor, 16 kB I-cache, 8 kB D-cache, a Companion Chip Media Q LCD and peripheral controller, 32MB SDRAM, 32MB Flash EPROM, a 3.5" 240 x 320 reflective daylight-readable TFT Active Matrix color LCD with touchscreen and frontlight, a 38-key keyboard, four-direction cursor control button, Multimedia Card/Secure Digital Card x 1 (RAM upgrade), IrDA SiR at 115.2 kbps, 16-pin expansion connector, RS232C serial port, USB port, and a DC power input. When it's not plugged into a DC source, it uses a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery that Panasonic says will last for 8 hours with the frontlight on and 24 hours with the frontlight off and takes around three hours to charge. The Toughbook runs Windows CE 3.0. It measures 1.6 "(H)x 3.9 "(D)x 6.8 "(W) and weighs 1 lb, includes a three-year limited warranty on parts and labor, and will be priced at $ 999.00. Sure, it may not be as pretty as a Handspring Visor , but if anyone makes fun of it, you can use it to smack them on the head.