If you like to pour water on your laptop then drop it on the ground (from a reasonable height), there's only one product for you.
Panasonic's robust Toughbook range already has a unique place in the market. But the new 7 series of Toughbook mobile laptops goes one step further: they're sold as drop resistant up to 76cm, and are now fully splashproof right across the range.
Panasonic gets tougher
There are three new models in the Toughbook 7 series, which replaces the existing 5 series across Europe. It's headed up by the 14.1-inch Y7, which is powered by a 1.60GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor.
Alongside it, the W7 and T7 are both 12.1-inch 1.06GHz models, the latter with a touchscreen. At the product launch in Cologne this morning, Panasonic product manager Jan Urban poured a jug of water over a Y7, then dropped it on the ground to prove that the word 'ruggedised' is more than just a label.
The Toughbook range has an oustanding track record. Spashproof is one thing, but Panasonic's hard-assed laptops have also been known to stop bullets.
Read: Heroic laptop takes bullet for US soldier
Bulky? Far from it
A strong laptop with a good specification and performance inevitably means lower battery life and an increased weight. Panasonic has sought the middle ground here, so the use of strong, lightweight components is tempered by a lower ultimate specification.
A 0.3mm glass panel, thin magnesium alloy cabinet and 45.9g optical drive mechanism help keep the weight down, to the extent that even the Y7 comes in at just over 1.5kg.
The 7 series will be available in November from Micro Anvica in the UK, with local pricing details yet to be announced. Key specifications released by Panasonic today are as follows:
Panasonic Toughbook CF-Y7: 14.1-inch SXGA display, Intel Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, DVD multi drive, 5 hours battery life, 1.55kg.
Panasonic Toughbook CF-T7: 12.1-inch XGA display with touchscreen, Intel Core 2 Duo 1.06GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, 7 hours battery life, 1.385kg
Panasonic Toughbook CF-W7: 12.1in XGA display, Intel Core 2 Duo 1.06GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 80GB hard drive, DVD multi drive, 7 hours battery life, 1.28kg
