Panasonic has announced that its “business-rugged” Toughbook T5 and Toughbook W5 notebook computers will feature built-in support for Sprint Mobile Broadband as of January 2007, including Sprint’s upgraded EV-DO Revision A wireless broadband services, where available.
The Toughbooks will feature the Wireless PCI Express Mini Card Embedded Module from Sierra Wireless; where Sprint’s Rev A EV-DO network is available, users can expect 450 to 800 Kbps of downstream bandwidth and 300 to 400 Kbps of upstream service; where EV-DO Rev A isn’t available, the cards will operate on the Sprint Power Vision Network. Theoretically, this means the units have wireless Internet access in more than 200 communities (with populations over 100,000) and 725 airports across the United States.
“Combining the innovation and capabilities of the Sprint Power Vision Network with rugged and reliable Panasonic notebooks demonstrates an unmatched value for mobile users,” said Danny Bowman, Sprint’s VP of customer equipment. “With the EV-DO Rev. A-equipped W5 and T5, Sprint and Toughbook customers have a complete solution that combines real-time, access on the go with a lightweight, reliable form factor so customers have the power to do more.”
Otherwise, the revised Toughbooks will keep their current specs, with 12.1-inch LCD screens, ruggedized components, long battery life and weights of just 3.1 pounds (the W5) or 3.5 pounds (the T5). The new versions should hit authorized resellers and Sprint Business Solutions partners in January at an estimated street price of $2,249.
