Panasonic introduces theToughpad FZ-Q1 rugged tablet

Panasonic has introduced a new 12.5-inch rugged tablet running Windows 8.1 Pro, the Toughpad FZ-Q1. The tablet has a magnesium alloy chassis and a shock absorbing case and can withstand drops and water splashes, and is resistant to dirt and dust.

The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-Q1 features a 12.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display that is treated with an anti-reflective coating to reduce glare. There are two models - standard and performance. The Standard model is equipped with 1.58GHz Intel Celeron N2807 Processor (up to 2.16 GHz), 4GB SDRAM,  64GB eMMC (standard) and 128GB SSD. While the Performance model has a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-4302Y vPro Processor (Turbo Boost up to 2.3GHz), 8GB SDRAM, 128GB eMMC (standard) and 256GB SSD.

The tablet runs Windows 8.1 Pro, but is upgradable to Windows 10. It is equipped with 8-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front facing camera. Connectivity features include 4G LTE4G LTE multi carrier mobile broadband with satellite GPS, Intel Dual Band Wireless AC7260 Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac,  Bluetooth v4.0 (Class 1) + EDR, USB3.0 and  Micro SDXC. The tablet comes with an optional SmartCard reader and Contactless SmartCard/RFID HF reader. It promises 9 hours of battery life and supports fast charging as well.

The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-Q1 Standard edition will go on sale in the US in March at the starting price of $999 (Rs 66,750), while the Performance edition with the Core i5 CPU will set you back by around $1699 (Rs. 1,13,000). The Spill resistant, backlit keyboard with carrying strap will be available separately.