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Panasonic Computer Solutions Co. has introduced the newest member of its product line, the Panasonic Toughbook 52—described as a “semi-rugged, wireless-ready, desktop replacement notebook.”

Built on the new Santa Rosa chipset from Intel, Panasonic said the Toughbook 52 is designed to offer the processing power of a desktop replacement notebook in a unit that can also serve as a mobile PC.

Weighing in at less than 7.5 lbs, the wide-screen Toughbook 52, which replaces
Version 51, comes equipped with additional security features plus a new
carrying handle and optional embedded access to next-generation wireless data
networks from major wireless carriers.

In addition, it incorporates magnesium alloy cases, flexible internal connectors and shock-mounted hard drives to help enhance durability. In fact, the new unit has been tested to withstand drops of up to 2.5 ft on all six sides. The hard drive itself is tested to withstand a drop of 3 feet. The Toughbook 52 also includes a spill-resistant keyboard. Battery life is approximately 4-6 hours, depending on use environment, according to Panasonic.

"Durability and reliability can only be proven in terms of hardware failure
rates," said Rance Poehler, president of Panasonic Computer Solutions.
"Panasonic is the only computer manufacturer to routinely share failure rate
information because we know that Toughbook notebooks are many times more
reliable than the industry average.”

To safeguard data and enable customers to comply with increasing data security
regulations, the Toughbook 52 is also equipped with the Trusted Platform Module
(TPM v1.2) security chip, the Computrace software agent in BIOS and an optional
fingerprint scanner and SmartCard reader.

The new Toughbook, like other Panasonic models, comes with a standard three-year limited warranty, which includes around-the-clock U.S.-based phone support for the entire life of the product.

The Toughbook 52 will be available this month in two configurations, standard
or optimized for improved video and Vista-performance, including a faster CPU, 512MB dedicated VRAM and a larger 120GB hard drive.

For more information, go to www.panasonic.com/toughbook.

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