Panasonic Unveils 'World's Most Rugged Tablet PC'

"We'll continue to sell this product through our regular reseller channels and we have a number of companies testing this equipment already. We'll also be going through standard distribution channels with Synnex, Tech Data, Ingram and GTSI," said Kyp Walls, director of product management at the Secaucus, N.J.-based Panasonic Computer Solutions Company.

Starting at $3,379, the H1 Field offers a larger, 10.4-inch dual-touch display than its predecessor, aimed at the health care industry. Walls called the additional screen real estate a "commentary on the aging of the American workforce."

The Toughbook H1 Field's display provides both tablet and touchscreen functionality, while the addition of circular polarization and other anti-glare treatments makes the screen much easier to read in direct sunlight than the earlier H1. The H1 Field has a 64-GB, solid-state drive in place of the mechanical drive in the earlier model, making it more rugged -- always a top Panasonic concern.

And with a six-foot drop rating, the H1 Field would appear to meet Panasonic's strict Tougbook standards on that score.

Panasonic promises six hours of battery life in the H1 Field, which is powered by a 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor. If that's not enough run time, the unit comes with twin hot-swappable batteries.

Options for the Toughbook H1 Field include RFID, barcode readers, camera, GPS and Gobi2000 mobile broadband from Qualcomm. Bluetooth 2.1 and 802.11a/b/g/n are also wireless connectivity options. The unit weighs 3.4 pounds.

The H1 Field is loaded with 2GB of RAM and runs Genuine Windows 7 with an XP Tablet downgrade option available. It's also got several optional security features, including a fingerprint reader and both a contactless and insertable SmartCard reader. A docking connector is integrated into the unit itself.

The Toughbook H1 Field will be available through Panasonic's authorized resellers in March, according to the company.