Press Release: Panasonic® Toughbook® 29 Wins Laptop Magazine Torture Test Panasonic Toughbook Rugged Notebooks Deliver Clear Advantage for Mobile PC Customers through New High-Resolution LCDs

July 01, 2004

Panasonic® Toughbook® 29 Wins Laptop Magazine Torture Test Panasonic Toughbook Rugged Notebooks Deliver Clear Advantage for Mobile PC Customers through New High-Resolution LCDs

Fully ruggedized notebook tops chief competitors in durability, speed, and runtime

SECAUCUS, NJ - Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, world's leading provider of ruggedized portable computers in the U.S., is proud to announce that its fully ruggedized Toughbook® CF-29 notebook has been named “Editor’s Choice” in Laptop Magazine's April Torture Test.

Going head to head against the Itronix GoBook II (a made-in-Taiwan notebook also sold by Hewlett Packard as the nr3600) and Rugged Notebook's Rough Rider Jr. (also sold by Motorola as the ML 850), the CF-29 outscored the competition in every key test.

“We froze the notebooks, subjected them to a simulated rainstorm, baked them for an hour, and dropped them three feet onto a layer of plywood over concrete,” wrote Laptop magazine torture-tester Rich Malloy.

Praising the Panasonic for having the “fastest performance, incredible battery life, and unmatched durability,” Malloy noted that “when all the dust settled ... (the Editor's Choice winner) clearly stood above all others.”

Panasonic Computer Solutions Company president Rance Poehler was particularly impressed by the magazine's testing protocols which were, according to the editors, a “grueling gauntlet of durability trials designed to see whether these systems could meet the U.S. military's supertough specifications.”

Noting that a ruggedized Toughbookreg; notebook recently stopped an AK-47 round in Iraq, Poehler said “I am glad that Laptop Magazine has provided laboratory confirmation for what our customers already know – Toughbooks are the most reliable and durable high-performance notebooks in the world.

“In addition to being the pre-eminent supplier of ruggedized computing solutions to the telecommunications, utility, insurance, professional field force, healthcare and transportation industries we are also the leading provider of rugged PCs to state and local law-enforcement agencies, the military, and other federal agencies,” Poehler added. “One of the key reasons for our maintaining our leadership position in this field year after year is that we design, engineer, utilize strict quality control methods, and manufacture all Toughbook® models in our own factories.

“That is why Toughbooks are faster, more durable, have better battery life, and offer more wireless options and accessories. That is why we are able to produce an incredibly broad product line to better meet the specialized needs of our customers,” Poehler said.

“HP neither designs, engineers, nor builds their rugged notebooks. These are Itronix notebooks in thin disguise, and are made in Taiwan and re-labeled 'Hewlett Packard' over here. At Panasonic, it has always been our firm belief that making our computers ourselves, with all the attention to detail that pride in craftsmanship inspires would reward our customers with the most durable and reliable product possible.”

Poehler also noted the Panasonic's massive investments in people, factories, robotics, environmental and wireless testing chambers, quality-control processes, and a broad range of end-to-end service offerings ensure that the company will be in the ruggedized computer market for the duration.

“Companies buying their units from a third party Taiwanese-based manufacturer and putting their name on them have no real investment and can pull out of the market anytime,” further comments Poehler.

The flagship of the Toughbook® line, the CF-29 is Panasonic's fourth-generation fully ruggedized notebook designed to meet MilSpec STD-810F specifications, it features Intel® Centrino™-compliant system architecture powered by a 1.2Ghz Pentium M CPU, up to 1GB of upgradeable SD-RAM, three shock-isolated, anti-glare coated and daylightreadable screen options, a end-user removable 40GB or 60GB shock-and-vibration resistant hard drive, and up to four simultaneous integrated wireless options.

Panasonic Computer Solutions Company
Panasonic Computer Solutions Company is the leading provider of ruggedized notebook PCs for mobile professionals in the USA. The company is a unit company of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, the principal North American subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. of Japan (NYSE: MC), which recorded annual sales of $61.70 billion in the most recent fiscal year. Matsushita Electric is one of the only manufacturers today that directly controls the process of design, manufacture and quality assurance of its notebook PCs. Many key components, including LCD panels, Lithium- Ion batteries, DVD and CD-ROM drives, and board-level electronics are the products of its divisions. The products, people and business of Panasonic Computer Solutions Company are entirely dedicated to the needs of the professional user, including Fortune 1000 business and government professionals. Panasonic also supplies mobile computing solutions to over 3,000 police departments in the United States.