T
here are lots of working
environments were normal
computer equipment
wouldn’t survive for long. Those
in the military, or working with a
disaster support agency, or even
on a construction site can’t have a
mission-critical computer die
because of rain, or dust.
For those applications,
something beyond a typical
Ultrabook is needed. Having had
the Panasonic Toughbook 55 for a
couple of months, we’ll state from
the outset that this machine is a
highly tuned answer to the
problems we’ve mentioned, and
dozens of other situations.
There’s a price to pay though.
Our review machine was £2,476 in
the UK. Cheaper variants with HD
non-touch screens are available.
Design
It’s a cliché, but all toughened
computers need to have visible
screws, and the Toughbook 55 has
plenty of those. However, what
most purchasers will notice first is
that this isn’t a slim and elegant
design. It’s a chunky and angular
piece of technology that is
dominated by a substantial carry
handle at the front.
Behind the handle is a central
touchpad with two thumb-
activated buttons that extends to
the very edge of the keyboard area.
Panasonic provided a well-
proportioned keyboard where the
keys aren’t flush against each other,
and there is still room to the left
and right for narrow borders under
which the speakers live.
While thicker than normal, this
doesn’t appear a radical departure
for laptop layout, until you realise
that it has no visible ports. None.
There are ports, more than we
imagined, but they’re all safe
behind protective doors and covers
that enable this design to achieve
IP53 dust and water resistance and
meet the US military’s MIL-STD810H requirement. We wouldn’t
leave one exposed to rain for an
extended period or buried in sand.
But these protections should keep
it from failing at the drop of rain or
being dropped.
But the true revelation is a level
of user-installable upgrades and
options that would make a
standard Ultrabook hang its head
in shame.
In the standard box, along with
the laptop, you get a single
6500mAh battery. The battery fits
into one of two slots on the front
left and right, and you can use
either one. That not only allows for
dual batteries, but Panasonic has
modules to add fingerprint reading,
a Smart Card slot or an RFID reader
into the same receptor.
And, this isn’t the only optional
slot, there are two others, the
Selectable I/O bay and the
Selectable Universal Bay. On our
machine these weren’t populated,
but the I/O bay can be used to addPanasonic Toughbook 55
From £2,133 | $2,290 http://www.panasonic.com
A surprisingly practical and modular platform
Images : Panasonic78 |^ |^ March 2020