Panasonic Toughbooks have long been known as some of most resilient laptops around, and the Toughbook 30 continues the trend. This fully rugged notebook may not be the best performer on the block, and at $4,799 it isn’t cheap. Still, if you spend the bulk of your time working in the field, this laptop can handle the harshest of environments. Plus, you’ll get well over 6 hours of battery life.
Design
The notebook-equivalent of a tank, the Toughbook 30 is housed in a sturdy silver and black magnesium alloy chassis with a built-in, briefcase-type handle that pulls out from the front edge of the notebook. Most 13.3-inch systems are typically thin and light, but the Toughbook 30 weighs in at a hefty 8.4 pounds and is 2.8 inches thick. The lid is supported by a pair of heavy-duty hinges and, when closed, is firmly secured to the base using a spring-loaded latch. A retractable antenna for the included Sierra Wireless EV-DO module is embedded into the top left side.
Beneath the lid is a bright, 13.3-inch, daylight-readable display with touchscreen capabilities. The screen’s maximum resolution of 1024 x 768 is relatively low by today’s standards, but having the ability to view images in any lighting environment, including bright sunlight, is a big plus for the outdoor workforce. We had no problem reading text and viewing Web pages while moving from areas of direct sunlight to darker, shaded areas. The touchscreen is very responsive, with just the right amount of sensitivity for double-clicking and scrolling with the included stylus or your fingertip.
The keyboard is well spaced, and the keys provided a good response, but the touchpad controller is a bit too small, which is puzzling considering the deck has plenty of room for a larger pad. Below the touchpad are six small activity indicator lights.
Durability and Security
We put the Toughbook 30 through a few durability tests to see how it would hold up against abuse. We dropped the notebook from a height of 36 inches onto a carpeted office floor three times, making sure the unit landed on three different edges. After each drop, the system booted up without a problem and the system sustained no evidence of physical damage.
We also performed a moisture test on the keyboard and touchpad by pouring an ounce of water on three different spots on the keyboard deck, for a total of 3 ounces. After wiping it down, we fired up the system with no problems. Even the next day, the system functioned properly.
In order to meet the MIL-STD-810F requirements for durability, each and every port and slot, including the power jack, is protected by a gasket-lined cover to prevent moisture and dust intrusion.
The Toughbook 30 includes the latest security features, including a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip and a Computrace theft-protection agent, which resides in the system BIOS and has the ability to track the laptop if it’s lost or stolen. Other security options include a biometric fingerprint scanner and a Smart Card reader.
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