- Average user rating:
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
-
4.5 stars
"The modern briefcase: handle carry all your work everywhere."
Pros: Powerful to run all apps, semi-rugged, handle, 4 gb RAM, wireless WAN, touchscreen
Cons: 6lbs-- the Y5 is a bit lighter. Touchscreen is odd to use on a clamshell-- would be a cool convertible!
Summary: Panasonic Toughbook 74 is a fast unit, quite rugged, the handle is greatâ??since the battery life is excellent, I can carry it by itself, like an attachĂ©. A rep at USAT Corp claimed I could pull the live DVD-R drive and put in a second battery for more runtime, while the unit was onâ??I havenâ??t felt the need yet though. It runs Photoshop CS2, huge Excel spreadsheets, Adobe In-Design, Lightroom and Nikon Capture NX very well.
Might want to wait a few months--- according to USAT Corp. http://www.usatcorp.com you will soon be able to get the new Toughbook 74s with HSDPA or 1x-EVDO Rev A (as in the newest fastest network that is not available really anywhere yet) as integrated wireless WAN for Verizon, Sprint / Nextel and Cingular. This would be a collapsible antenna hanging off the back, and an on-off button. USAT Corp said the weight gain with WAN would be negligible, so the weight should still be <6 lbs, and the affect on battery life a consideration, but probably less than a PC-Card since this will be an internal module (USAT sales guys opinion).
FWIW-- I am effusive about this company USAT (and have gotten every Toughbook I have purchased from them -- a bit hard to find but located here www.usatcorp.com ) since they always seem to have the inside track on Panasonic Toughbooks and mobile computing and they have stuck with me up after I have purchased. Phone is 888-550-8728 -- the sales rep who helped me last was Lisa.
