Is Panasonic's new CF-U1 really the toughest computer available? We take it to the Australian Outback for some punishment, including desert heat, rock drops, and H20.
Ahh, the Outback. It’s not the flies or the sweltering temperatures that get you first: It’s the landscape. It was here amongst the brutally beautiful backdrop of iconic Uluru and across the backless spines of spinifex grass that we tested Panasonic's newest ultra-portable model, the CF-U1 Toughbook.
The appeal of the Toughbook series comes from its rugged, ballsy construction and quality Japanese design principles. There are four updated models worth taking a peek at: the CF-W7 business model, the CF-19 (tablet) and the CF-30 field models, the CF-52 Semi-rugged model and our favourite, the brand new Atom powered CF-U1 UMPC, a hybrid between an over-sized Palm and a chunky sized netbook with military-grade balls.
These models carry an impressive spec under the hood including Intel Core 2 Duo and between 7 to 8 hours of battery life, depending on the model with purpose-built ruggedised casing for knocks and drops.
The CF-U1 ultra mobile PC
Our test model was the $3499 Panasonic CF-U1. The CF-U1 is fully customisable and some of the more interesting options include a barcode scanner, a 2MP camera, a magstrip card reader and GPS support for vehicle navigation.
In addition to these optional extras, the CF-U1 comes standard with WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities, an SD card reader, an 5.6” LED touchscreen (1024 x 600 WSVGA), 32GB of solid state storage, 1GB of RAM and only weighs 1kg.
Perhaps the most interesting feature are the two hot-swappable batteries, so the unit will keep working while another battery is being taken out to charge. It also comes with a handy docking station.
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| Scouting the Toughbook testing location from helicopter. |
Our trip to the Outback
Our Outback trip was courtesy of Panasonic, who took us bouncing around from one adventure to another with the CF-U1 in tow; on unruly camels to helicopter flights to 4WD off-road powering. The toughbook was a true survivor, enough to outlast the harsh terrain, never wimpering and always ready to boot, no matter the punishment we threw at it.
Design
The screen was very easy to read in harsh, bright sunlight and the magnesium alloy chassis provided a lightweight solution with no moving parts inside, which protected the unit from the vibration of the numerous corrugated roads during our transport. It also fitted rather comfortably within the palm of our hand via a small brace.
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| In-car testing was an ease thanks to solid-state drives and vibration/dust resistant chasis. No bumps can stop this. |