Introduction:
I recently had an opportunity to test a Panasonic ToughBook W4 laptop, the latest ultraportable laptop that is a part of the acclaimed Panasonic ToughBook Series. Panasonic produces an array of innovative and unique laptops geared towards the business user. The ToughBook series is divided into two classes: rugged and semi-rugged. The W4 is part of their semi-rugged laptop series. These semi-rugged laptops are built to withstand the drops and bumps that the mobile business person may endure.
Build and Design
The Panasonic W4 has a very nice design. The laptop uses an all silver, all magnesium alloy casing. Using this alloy throughout the laptop provides the increased durability found in the ToughBook series. Supposedly, this model can withstand up to 100 kg of pressure. However, I'm not sure I would feel comfortable trying to sit on it or dropping it off a cliff! The laptop also includes a shock mounted hard drive for extra protection.
The casing is well built, with almost no flex to the machine. The LCD screen is firmly attached and I could not produce any ripples by pressing on the back of the screen. For a semi-rugged machine, the casing found near the keyboard and optical drive does seems a little thin, but allows for the machine to be super light in weight. It measures at 2.8 lbs, which is absolutely amazing, considering it has a built in optical drive and uses a 12.1" screen! Frankly put, this laptop is the lightest computer I have ever used!
The overall measurements of this machine are 1.8"/1.0" (at its thickest/thinnest points) x 10.6" x 8.3". All of the ports are located on the two sides of the machine. The front of the laptop has the microphone/headphone jacks as well as a main power and Wi-Fi power switches. Also located on the front is the optical drive switch. Probably the most unique feature of this laptop is the optical drive. It isn't your typical side loading tray found in most laptops. The right side of the palm rest is actually the lid of the optical drive and it opens upward when you press the optical drive switch.
|
