Panasonic’s new handheld Toughpads can stand up to plenty of abuse and are reportedly the lightest rugged tablets on the market.Panasonic is adding two new handheld tablets to its line-up of enterprise-grade mobile devices.
The Toughpad FZ-F1 Windows and Toughpad FZ-N1 Android are 4.7-inch devices that feature a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and, according to Panasonic, are “the world’s lightest fully rugged handheld tablets.”
Both devices feature a drop rating of 6-feet and have also passed a tumble test which required 2,000 consecutive 3.3-foot drops.
The devices are fully sealed against dust and are also submersible, in up to 3.3-feet of water for 30 minutes, meeting IP65 and IP67 certification requirements. A ruggedized glass screen is designed to ensure a high level of display reliability and durability.
“The majority of handheld computer solutions in market today are using an antiquated OS and are vastly underpowered,” says Jan Ruderman, vice-president, business mobility group, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America.
“Additionally, older devices aren’t compatible with today’s standard enterprise applications, offer poor voice and data features and are larger and heavier than they need to be. The Toughpad FZ-F1 and FZ-N1 handheld tablets give companies looking for an up-to-date, powerful, flexible and purpose-built solution, an excellent option that will improve efficiency, productivity and bottom-line performance for years to come.”
Toughpad tablets are designed well for a wide variety of applications, such as inventory management, shipping and receiving, delivery routing and parcel tracking, retail store line busting and bar code medication administration.
Both devices feature an ergonomically designed, angled rear barcode reader that allows the user to scan items without bending at the elbow or wrist while also being able to clearly read the screen. This purpose-built feature was designed to improve productivity and reduce the potential for repetitive strain injuries. In addition, the Panasonic device comes with barcode reader activation buttons on either side making it easy for use by left or right-handed workers.
Other purpose-built features include a glove enabled, multi-touch, sunlight viewable display with a rain sensing mode that delivers accurate operation, even in inclement weather.
The new Toughpad handheld tablets can operate beyond a typical 8-hour work shift on the standard, field replaceable battery, and with an optional extended life battery it is designed to perform beyond two full work shifts.
If necessary, a battery change can be done while keeping the device operational. When more power is needed, the quick charge capability delivers extended use after a one hour charge, with a full charge averaging only two hours.
Both models will be available with dual SIM slots and certified on leading mobile carrier networks, providing 4G LTE/3G/GPRS/CDMA2000 mobile broadband for voice (or VoIP) and data. To ensure clear voice communication above industrial noise, the devices are equipped with intelligent noise suppression capabilities and dual front speakers providing an astounding maximum volume of 100 decibels. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, near field communications (NFC), standalone and assisted GPS (A-GPS) and Bluetooth®, v4.1 (Class 1) are standard on both models.
Various accessories will be available for the Toughpad FZ-F1 and FZ-N1, including a vehicle dock, hand strap, single and multiple device cradles, multi-battery charger, passive and active stylus options and an extended life battery.
The Android™-powered Toughpad FZ-N1, will initially be available as a WiFi model in March, with a voice model to be introduced this summer.
The Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise-powered Toughpad FZ-F1 will be launched as a data and voice model this fall.
