For those that are in a “rougher” industry than us, you might already be carrying a Panasonic Toughbook. If you are, you’ll know that the fully-ruggedized models are pretty huge. But if you don’t require maximum roughness, Panasonic has come to market with their lightest model yet, and we’re definitely intrigued. The new Toughbook F8 is the lightest 3G-ready notebook to hit the market, but that’s not the best part. The best part, if you’ve been keeping up with all things hip, is that the 3G option is actually Qualcomm’s Gobi chip. That makes it possible to practically use any carrier in the world. Got Verizon at home but frequently travel outside the country? You’re good to go. We’ve ever heard reports of people using both Verizon and AT&T domestically depending on where they are traveling. That’s pretty hot! Here are some of the specs from the new notebook:
- Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor SP9300, 2.26 GHz (6MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB)
- 1GB DDR2 SDRAM standard, expandable to 4GB
- 160GB HDD, shock-mounted
- Integrated DVD Multi Drive
- 14.1″ 1280 x 800 WXGA anti-glare TFT active matrix color LCD
- TPM Security Chip, v1.2
- Intel® WiFi Link 5100 802.11a/b/g/draft-n
- Genuine Windows Vista™ Business (with XP downgrade option)
- Dimensions: 9.9″(L) x 12.8″(W) x 1.0″/1.9″ front/rear (H) (without protrusion)
- Weight: Approximately 3.7 lbs
- Battery life: Approximately 6 hours
- Wireless on-off switch (WWAN, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth)
- Bluetooth® v2.0 + EDR
- Optional integrated Gobi(TM) 3G global mobile Internet (EV-DO and HSPA)
Now if only their tablet was this small and light… we’d be all over that! You know, since we’re going to keep mocking our Dell Latitude XT for being a piece of crap. The Panasonic F8-series is set to hit in November for an estimated street price of $2,499.
