Panasonic Debuts 7 Series Toughbooks

The latest "business rugged" Toughbooks aren't ready for the battlefield, but they'll do just fine in the boardroom, where they'll stop cup after cup of coffee.

If you’ve been yearning for a fully-rugged  Panasonic Toughbook ever since you spotted one riding shotgun in a police cruiser while you were in the back, but haven’t been able to afford one ever since you posted bail, Panasonic has a toned-down version for you – the new 7-series Toughbooks.

The series includes the W7, an ultraportable laptop, the T7, a lightweight tablet, and the Y7, a fully-featured laptop that still manages to be the lightest in its 14.1-inch screen class. All three use Intel Core 2 Duo Processors with heat and power management technology from Panasonic that has been massaged to extend battery life and cut overheating.

Panasonic calls the new notebooks business rugged, rather than fully rugged like its field-ready comrades. Think along the lines of the Hummer H2: stylish, tough and capable like it’s older brother the H1, but not quite able to stop bullets, mount a 50 caliber machine gun, or wade through waist-deep water. While fully rugged Toughbooks are mil-spec rated to take a fall from 36 inches and survive, the 7 series gets a 12-inch rating, or 30 inches for its shock-mounted hard drive alone. The 7 series notebooks can, however, still withstand over 220 lbs of pressure on their magnesium cases, and handle spills of more than 6 ounces into their keyboards.

The only new Toughbook available now is the Y7, which goes for $2,449. The W7 and T7 will become available in December, both at $2,099.