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"Finally! A real "Tough" notebook. Army guy's experience." on by Tom B
Pros: Battery life, durability, performance, fit and finish, touchscreen.
Cons: Slow touchpad, Integrated graphics, external cooling required.
Summary: I am in the Army and have finally found a laptop that can take the heat. And dust and moisture and everything else! I have had a Dell, a Gateway and a Compaq. I replaced drives in all three for vibration damage from being used in a Blackhawk helicopter. Helicopters leak too. You fly through rain, and you're in the back, everything gets wet or oily. My Gateway LCD died from oil. The Compaq from a 2-foot drop and the Dell's build quality sucked. During my tour in Iraq, this Toughbook went through dust storms, rain, temps in excess of 130F and always worked. Even a cup of coffee on the keyboard didn't phase it. Durability and build quality are second to none.
Graphics aren't all that great. If you like to play games, you will be using the lowest settings. Games will also heat this thing up as all cooling is passive. Fixed that with a cooling pad though. The touchpad can't be accelerated enough for my liking, but I now use a USB wireless mouse.
Battery life is simply outstanding. Doing wireless internet, spread sheets and custom software, I get over 4 hours on a charge. Watching DVD's is ok on the smal screen, but there again, I can watch two of them on a single battery.
If you live life roughly, this is the product for you. Although it only has one USB port, I use a USB adapter to give me four more. Make sure any memory stick or hub you buy has a thin plug for the first 1/2 inch, the opening for the USB port is small.
Integrated Intel wireless is awsome. Great range and works with every router I've tried it with.
I use a different Laptop for gaming. But other than that, this thing is awsome! Oh, the only other con is the speaker. Yes, I meant for it to be singular. The speaker is on the bottom, so if you have this thing in your lap or on something soft, like a couch, you can't hear it. -
"Great laptop if you need the things that make it unique" on by ToughBookUser
Pros: It's big, heavy, awkward, and inconvenient. I love it! I leave it in my truck all year round, baking it in the summer and freezing it in the winter. It always works and is always ready to go.
Cons: Heavy. Doesn't have all the latest whiz-bang features found on some other laptops. Only one USB port.
Summary: I purchased the ToughBook used (got a bargain) and then added a one gigabyte memory module, giving it a total of 1.25 gigs of RAM memory. I also replaced the hard drive (bought a drive caddy on eBay to simplify the process) and now use a 320-gigabyte hard drive. (It isn't one quarter full yet.) Both upgrades were simple to do.
I then reformatted the old hard drive and installed Ubuntu Linux on it. I can now swap operating systems within a few seconds by opening the hard drive cover, pulling out one drive, inserting the other drive, and closing the cover. Total time requited: about ten seconds. (Power down first!)
I have spilled coffee on this laptop and then flushed it off with running tap water in the men's room. Result? No damage. It works well. Try that with any other brand of laptop!
This laptop admittedly is heavy and bulky. It is the exact opposite of today's "netbooks." But if you need an industrial grade PC that will withstand abuse, the Panasonic Toughbook is an excellent choice. It is expensive but I figure I probably would have needed to purchase two or three laptops by now to replace the broken/damaged ones. Instead, this ToughBook has taken all the abuse and is still running. I think I saved money by only having to make the one purchase.
My ToughBook is now getting a bit old but I haven't seen anything I would want to purchase for a replacement, other than a new ToughBook. -
"Great Laptop CNET Specs are wrong though" on by yumalout
Pros: Fire-Fighter Proof - water - smoke - heat - damage
Cons: price - available ports - weight
Summary: This model, CF-29 has a 60 GIG hard drive standard, 80 GIG maximum, 256 RAM standard, upgradable to 1028. Otherwise almost everything else CNET wrote is right on. Best laptop available for hazardous conditions. My 2 year old drop tests it on a regular basis, and it is also resistant to peanut butter and jelly. BUY IT, guaranteed you wont regret it.
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"It is the perfect laptop for the MS world." on by ucmsgrand
Pros: tough, weighted, 2012 buy @ lower price, kid friendly, body it self tough material, screen display is awesome. I SPILLED A COKE ON IT BY ACCIDENT AND IT SURVIVED.
Cons: no light on keyboard.
Summary: YES I WOULD BUY ANOTHER ONE.
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"The Best Rugged Computer I've Used!" on by DavesAlive
Pros: Screen readable in bright sunlight (without being plugged in), water resistant, durable for field environment; resists dust and high wind issues. Back lit keyboard, good WiFi, Touch Screen, Excellent battery life
Cons: Only one USB port, can get a little hot, RAM only upgradable to 1 GB.
Summary: I purchased this laptop for my field notebook. I work as an engineer in telecommunications, and needed a laptop that would stand up to the normal abuse of working in a variable climate environment. I deal with a lot of humidity, rain, dust, grime, heat and cold. I needed a computer that would be up to the task of working in a variety of different climates.
My Model Standard Specs, before upgrading the RAM and hard drive:
This isn't the fastest computer. Not made for gaming. But it will run the few applications at a time I need when running my specific tests. I can run my diagnostic software and a few other applications to get the job done.
My particular model has a touch screen a fire wire port, one USB port, a DVD/CD drive, WiFi, and a 120GB hard drive. Would be nice having an additional USB port, but not a big deal as I can use a USB hub when needed.
I've been using Toughbooks for the past few years, and find them a valuable tool in a variety of environments.
Updated on Jul 9, 2011
Description: Intel Pentium M 778 1.6GHzLv (Centrino),13.3" Touch XGA,512MB,80GB,Intel 802.11a+b+g, WIN XP SP2, Emissive Backlit Keyboard, TPM1.2, no drive
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