Panasonic announced an enterprise-grade Android tablet today, expecting it to land in the market later this year. Called the Toughbook tablet”, it will be rugged and durable and offer consumers a 10.1-inch screen and integrated active stylus support. Perfect for business users who work in the field (health care, cable installers, maintenance), the tablet will enable user to capture signatures directly on the device.
Software-wise, the Toughbook tablet will have security embedded at the hardware level and come with optional 3G/4G connectivity. Considering the work that will likely be done to secure the tablet, we can expect Android 2.x and not Honeycomb. At least, not yet. No pricing or exact availability to share at this point, but we’ll be keep an eye out for it.
On a side note, we wonder if Motorola is still working on a rugged tablet too?
Press Release
PANASONIC TOUGHBOOK TO ADDRESS MARKET VOID BY DELIVERING ENTERPRISE-GRADE ANDROID TABLET
Device to include enterprise-scale security, functionality and durability for government and commercial mobility
Secaucus, NJ, June 16, 2011 – Panasonic Solutions Company, provider of collaboration, information-sharing and decision-support solutions for government and commercial enterprises, today announced its plans to deliver an enterprise-grade Android™ tablet to the market in the fourth quarter of this year. The new Toughbook® tablet will address a current gap by delivering a product designed with security, functionality and real-world reliability in mind. By delivering this purpose-built business solution, the new Toughbook tablet will appeal to a wide variety of users, including mission critical government personnel, highly mobile field forces, SMB’s looking for a competitive edge, security conscious IT managers and bottom-line focused CFOs.
“Enterprise customers are very interested in the tablet market, but have been frustrated by the lack of appropriate solutions,” said Rance Poehler, president, Panasonic Solutions Company. “The vast majority of tablet devices—regardless of the OS—are engineered for consumers and don’t offer appropriate levels of security and durability or the functionality needed for business use. Like all Toughbook products, our Toughbook tablet will be designed and constructed with the mission-critical mobile user in mind.”
From a functionality standpoint, the Toughbook tablet will avoid the typical glossy screens—found on current tablet offerings—that are all but unreadable in outdoor environments. The Toughbook tablet will include a high brightness, daylight viewable screen so that mobile workers, in markets like field service, home healthcare and public safety, can easily see critical data and operate the device regardless of lighting conditions. The new tablet will also include an active stylus, allowing mobile workers in sales, customer service and mobile point-of-sale environments to capture signatures on the device’s 10.1” XGA multi-touch display.
Enterprise-class mobile computing requires a heightened level of device security that is not currently available in today’s tablet market. To address this need, the new Toughbook tablet is being designed with security embedded at the hardware level.
The Toughbook brand is widely known for its reliability and durability, even in extreme operating environments. The new Toughbook tablet will be no exception, offering durability, and ingress protection consistent with its other fully-rugged devices.
Other features to be offered on the Toughbook tablet include satellite-based GPS, full-shift battery life, professional-grade accessories and optional embedded 3G/4G mobile broadband connectivity.
Combined with mobile broadband connectivity, the Android-based Toughbook tablet will offer quick access to applications and data that could significantly improve a field worker’s ability to make critical decisions that enhance customer service, improve response times and deliver results.
