Tablet PCs maybe great for taking on the go, you can do some web browsing, snap and view pictures and even use it as a GPS device. But the iPad and other tablets are so delicate that taking out in the backyard is roughing it. For real adventures you need something that can stand up to a bit of dirt, dust and all the other things the great outdoors has to offer.
Panasonic has introduced such a device in the Toughbook H2 tablet, which runs Windows and has an Intel Core i5-2557M vPro processor running at 1.7GHz. It weighs in at 3.5 pounds so it isn’t feather light, but it is still compact enough for those long treks. More importantly it offers 6.5 hours of battery life and has a fast charging hot swap battery option. Panasonic puts 4GB of RAM inside by default and it has a 320GB HDD for storage. The machine can also be fitted with a 128GB SSD. Best of all, the machine features aTransReflective Plus 10.1 inch screen that can be seen even in backlit, and it supports dual touch with a digitizer and works as a touchscreen.
This is more of a business machine for field workers, but we could see it making its way to the “civilian” market too. It offers GPS, 2MP camera and even an RFID reader. The biggest downside now, besides the hefty price of $3,559, is that the H2 is only available with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as Gobi 200 3G, but 4G will be available later this year. But this very much could be the beginning of truly rugged tablets.
[Via Geeky Gadgets: Panasonic Toughbook H2 Rugged Tablet Computer Debuts]