Tablets are fragile pieces of technology. Dropping one face down on the ground is asking for a cracked, if not completely destroyed screen. If the reason you’ve been holding off on buying a tablet is durability, your fears are about to be over. Panasonic has created what is likely the toughest tablet on the planet. Analogous to their ToughBook computers that are used in law enforcement, construction, and other harsh conditions, Panasonic’s offering to the tablet world is the ToughPad.
The first model ToughPad is the “10 inch A1, which is larger and more iPad-like. The second model will be the 7” inch B1, which is more like a typical e-reader in size. Both will run on the Android OS and from the list of features, they’re going to be awesome.
The only down side is the steep price. According to Campus Technology, the A1 is going to cost $1299. Granted, you’ll be able to drop it from 4 feet or spill coffee on the thing and probably not damage it at all, but at a price so high ( 2.5 times more than an iPad 2 at $499) you’ve got to wonder if the toughest thing about this tablet is the price.
Even so, Panasonic is approaching the tablet market from an angle that none of the other major players have: durability and consistency. So far, three things have driven the tablet market: style, features, and ease of use. If nothing else, Panasonic should be commended for taking on the task of making durability another consideration in the tablet arena. Their target audience is mainly the professional world, but I wouldn’t be surprised if consumers start demanding more “toughness” out of consumer-grade tablets as well. It’s an issue that has not been emphasized up to this point, so it will be interesting to see how other players in the tablet realm respond.
Be sure to check out some of the torture tests Panasonic has been putting their ToughPads through. It’s impressive. All other tablet devices would not survive many of these tests very long. There’s nothing like seeing a tablet bounce around like a ball or get punched over and over by a machine.
Recent Comments