Panasonic Adds Three New ToughBooks to Bang Around: F8, T8, W8

Heads up, road warriors. This morning, Panasonic announced new members to its business-rugged ToughBook family with the introduction of the F8 (thin-and-light, pictured right), T8 (positioned as a tablet alternative), and W8 (ultraportable) machines. Designed with the usual Panasonic attention to security and durability, these systems feature the amenities you’d expect from a ToughBook: spill resistant keyboards, strong magnesium-alloy bodies, TPM, CompuTrace, and optional fingerprint readers. Read on for breakdowns of the individual notebooks. Panasonic ToughBook F8

• 14.1-inch (1280 x 800) widescreen, anti-glare display
• Windows Vista Business
• 2.2-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 1GB of RAM (expandable to 4GB)
• 160GB shock-mounted HDD
• DVD Multi drive
• 802.11a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Gobi mobile broadband
• 3.7 pounds
• Integrated handle for maximum portability
• Approximately 6 hours of battery life
• $2,499

Panasonic ToughBook T8

• 12.1-inch (1024 x 768), anti-glare touchscreen
• Windows Vista Business
• 1.2-GHz ultra-low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 1GB of RAM (expandable to 4GB)
• 120GB shock-mounted HDD
• 802.11a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Gobi mobile broadband
• 3.3 pounds
• Rubber hand strap for a sure grip
• Approximately 7 hours of battery life
• $2,099

Panasonic ToughBook W8

• 12.1-inch (1024 x 768), anti-glare display
• Windows Vista Business
• Ultra-low voltage Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 1GB of RAM (expandable to 4GB)
• 120GB shock-mounted HDD
• 802.11a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR
• Gobi mobile broadband
• Approximately 3 pounds
• Approximately 7 hours of battery life
• $2,099

The new ToughBooks will be available for purchase in November.