Panasonic Toughbook gets going
Panasonic unveiled their latest range of 3G-enabled Toughbooks today with the help of the youngest Australian to ever climb Mount Everest.
- Ty was nominated for Best New Journalist at the Australian IT Journalism awards, but he has only ever won one thing. As a youth, he was awarded a free session for the photography studio at a local supermarket.
Panasonic unveiled their latest range of 3G-enabled Toughbooks today with the help of the youngest Australian to ever climb Mount Everest.
Rex Pemberton, who was 21 at the time, took a Panasonic Toughbook with him to the peak in order to update his website and also check email -- with the help of a satellite phone, of course.
Panasonic's new "Rex-approved" models include the CF-19 convertible tablet, and the CF-30 notebook, and both include an Ultra Low Voltage Core Duo processor, a 80GB hard drive, 512MB RAM and a battery life of up to eight hours. Options include a 3G board which enables "always-on" internet, and a GPS receiver.
The CF-30 weighs 3.8kg, features a 1.66GHz Core Duo processor and 13.3 inch screen, and is available for an RRP of $7,199. Meanwhile, the CF-19 features a 10.4 inch touchscreen, weighs 2.25kg, and the price starts at $6,099.
As with previous notebooks in the range, the Toughbooks conform to military standards concerning water ingress and impacts, and are used by adventurers and police forces alike.
John Penn, Toughbook manager for Panasonic Australia said: "These new Toughbooks can harness the latest technologies, such as Telstra's Next G wireless broadband network, along with offering ruggedised features designed to survive harsh treatment."
On December 21, 2006, Rex Pemberton climbed Mt Aconcagua, the last of the seven highest peaks across seven continents, and plans to climb K2 -- the second highest but also tougher mountain -- in the coming year.
You can check Rex's website for updates (courtesy of his Toughbook, we assume) at http://www.rexpemberton.com.au.