Panasonic Toughbook 31 Now More Rugged, Faster, and Longer Lasting

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Two batteries are better than one

We love that laptops are getting slimmer, lighter, and overall more portable than ever before (have a look at Michael Dell introducing a new notebook 25 years ago), but if your work (or pleasure) takes you off the beaten path into some extreme environments, a thin and light machine probably isn't your best bet. That's where systems like Panasonic's upgraded Toughbook 31 comes in.
Key upgrades include an 18-hour battery life (or up to 27 hours with an optional second battery), a new 5th Generation Intel Core i5 5300u vPro processor (3MB cache, 2.3GHz-2.9GHz) with Intel HD Graphics 5500, and a revised design that can now withstand a 6-foot drop and is certified to pass 19 different MIL-STD-810G tests.
Other rugged and fancy bits of interest include a magnesium alloy case, sunlight-viewable touchscreen, reinforced locking port covers, and a quick-release hard drive with its own heater for cold weather operation. It all adds up to a system that Panasonic sees being ideal for emergency service professionals, utility workers, and anyone else who needs to be connected in extreme environments.
As for the other hardware specs, they include 4GB to 16GB of DDR3L-1600 RAM, 500GB 7200RPM HDD with heater, SSD options (128GB to 512GB), 13.1-inch display with a 1024x768 resolution, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, optional backlit keyboard, USB 3.0 (x1) and USB 2.0 (x3) ports, GbE LAN, and various other odds and ends.
The Toughbook 31 won't come cheap -- Panasonic says it will be available in February starting at around $3,700.
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