Panasonic Upgrades Toughbook® 31 Rugged Laptop

Mobile Workers in Extreme Environments to Benefit from Improved Performance

SECAUCUS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Panasonic, an industry leader in rugged, reliable mobile computers since 1996, today announced upgrades to the Panasonic Toughbook 31, its best-selling fully-rugged laptop PC, including a faster processor, expanded storage, a more responsive touchscreen and other improvements. The Toughbook 31 is the gold standard for mission-critical mobile workers – including military personnel, first responders and field service workers – requiring exceptional performance in extreme environments.

“With a history of low failure rates and a long service life, the Toughbook 31 delivers the reliability our customers need and with these upgrades, the device will also deliver the performance required to run very demanding applications.”

Powered by new 3^rd generation Intel® Core™ processors, the upgraded Toughbook 31 delivers enhanced performance alongside world-class reliability. Other improvements include expanded storage (up to 500GB 7200rpm HDD with 4-8GB RAM) and improved touchscreen responsiveness.

Panasonic Toughbook® 31: Key Improvements

• Upgraded processor options:
  • Intel® Core™ i5-3360M vPro™ (up to 3.5GHz) with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
  • Intel® Core™ i5-3320M vPro™ (up to 3.3GHz) with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
  • Intel® Core™ i3-3110M
• Expanded storage on i5 models: 500GB 7200rpm hard drive (shock-mounted flex-connect with quick release and hard drive heater)
• Improved battery life: 7% longer, delivering 14.5 hours per MobileMark 2007 testing on the i5-3320M model. And, an additional 6.5 hours with the available media bay 2^nd battery.
• Added connectivity options: standard USB 3.0 port provides up to 10x faster file transfer speeds
• Improved wireless connectivity: Intel 6235 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n standard on all models
• Increased touchscreen responsiveness
• Improved battery calibration tool: Now capable of running in the background, allowing simultaneous use of computer

For a full list of Toughbook 31 specifications, visit http://www.Toughbook.com.

“It’s not only important to deliver the most reliable mobile computers to our customers, it’s also important they do not compromise on performance,” said Kyp Walls, director of product management, Panasonic Solutions for Business. “With a history of low failure rates and a long service life, the Toughbook 31 delivers the reliability our customers need and with these upgrades, the device will also deliver the performance required to run very demanding applications.”

The Toughbook 31 is the sixth generation of flagship Toughbook clamshell notebooks, the product line with which Panasonic set the standard for rugged and reliable mobile computing. The Toughbook 31 is certified by an independent third party testing lab to meet or surpass MIL-STD-810G tests for shock, drop, vibration, extreme temperature and high altitude. Screen brightness can be reduced to as low as 2 nits for concealed nighttime use, which can be critical for the safety of military and public safety users. With the ability to survive drops of up to six feet, an IP65 rating for unparalleled protection from water and dust, optional integrated 4G LTE wireless or 3G Gobi mobile broadband, and a 13.1-inch XGA LED touchscreen with Panasonic CircuLumin™ technology allowing for full circle viewability from the brightest sunlight to pitch darkness, the Toughbook 31 is made to excel in some of the world’s most challenging scenarios.

Pricing and Availability

In the United States, the Toughbook 31 is available from authorized Panasonic resellers starting at an estimated street price of $3,499.

The Toughbook 31 is backed with a three-year limited international warranty.

Follow the Toughbook Brand

The Panasonic Toughbook brand can be followed on various social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and via our blog, www.PanasonicForBusiness.com.

Panasonic Solutions for Business

Built on a celebrated engineering foundation, Panasonic architects business technology solutions that help build a better world. Customers in government, healthcare, production, education and a wide variety of commercial enterprises, large and small, depend on integrated solutions from Panasonic to help them acquire, manage and interpret the information that drives innovation. The complete suite of Panasonic solutions addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, high definition visual conferencing, visual communications (professional projectors, displays, digital signage) and HD and 3D video production. As a result of its commitment to R&D, manufacturing and quality control, Panasonic engineers reliable and long-lasting solutions as a partner for continuous improvement. Panasonic solutions for business are delivered by Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, which is a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC).

All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic solutions for business can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at www.panasonic.com.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America

Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and services for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation (NYSE:PC), and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic was the only Consumer Electronics company to be listed in the top ten brands on the Interbrand Best Global Green Brands 2011 ranking (http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/Best-Global-Green-Brands/2011-Report/BestGlobalGreenBrandsTable-2011.aspx). As part of its continuing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Panasonic Corporation of North America will relocate its operations to a new eco-efficient office tower adjacent to a mass transit hub in Newark, NJ in 2013. Information about Panasonic Eco Ideas initiatives is available at http://panasonic.net/eco/ecoideas. Information about Panasonic and its products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is also available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.