- Clipsal extends Iconic range
- Australia’s acoustic sensors market set for solid growth
- Energy storage specialist opens Australian office
- Firmware upgrade for measurement amplifiers
Panasonic has launched a light, rugged Android 10.1-inch Toughpad tablet, which is claimed to have protection against drops and shocks, heat and cold, vibration, contamination, dust, rain and more.
Today, 84 per cent of Australian organisations have staff who regularly perform their jobs outside of the traditional office environment. These flexible workers are turning to technology such as smartphones and tablets, with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) now an option for employees in seven out of 10 of Australian companies.
However, these consumer grade devices are not suitably rugged enough for the working environment and bring the risk of failing in the field, with the annual failure rate of consumer tablets claimed to be as much as 400 per cent higher than rugged enterprise tablets.
“More and more workers are working outside traditional office environments to get closer to their customers,” said Stuart Buxton, Senior Product Manager, Toughbook, Panasonic. “This trend is empowering staff, but they need the right technology to suit their work environment.
“Consumer tablets used in the workplace are prone to operational failure, which can cause businesses thousands of dollars in downtime, disruption and repair. The FZ-A2 draws on Panasonic’s 20-year expertise in manufacturing fit-for-purpose rugged devices. By launching the new Toughpad, we’re helping a wide range of organisations who haven’t traditionally used fully rugged devices to boost productivity, minimise downtime, slash field failure rates and reduce Total Cost of Ownership.”
The Toughpad FZ-A2 combines Intel and Android productivity with full ruggedisation and is suited to a range of mobile users, including servicing, repair and technical support teams; local, state and federal governments; utility and infrastructure providers; logistics and transport operators; healthcare providers and retailers.
It also comes with a set of customisable business interfaces and wireless connectivity options to tailor the device to exact business requirements. Alongside a full range of business features (1xUSB 3.0 Type A, 1xUSB 3.1 Type C OTG, 1xHDMI and 1xMicro SD, GPS), optional smartcard reader, 2D barcode reader and 4G can be specified. The USB 3.1 Type C OTG port for reversible connection comes with transmission speeds of up to 5Gbps, power charging (up to 5V 900mA – USB PD is not supported) and USB On The Go functionality for copying and transferring files from one Android device to another.
It is suitable for mobile outdoor workers in challenging conditions. It has a sunlight-viewable 10-finger multi-touch IPS display, flexible configurable ports and business expansion capability, plus enterprise class security. In addition, it can work below zero or above 50o C and to use the touchscreen in the rain or while wearing gloves.
The device is lightweight (880g) and slim (16.4mm deep) with a fanless design and runs the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with Enterprise Security from Android for Work. It is equipped with the latest Intel AtomTM x5-Z8550 Quad Core processor (2 MB cache, 1.44GHz up to 2.4GHz) with 4GB RAM and a 32GB eMMC.
It also has a daylight-readable display, rear camera, dedicated GPS, MIL-STD-810G certification and IP65 rating.
Key features of the device include:
- Fanless design for enhanced protection from temperature, water and dirt
- Intel HD graphics
- 10.1 WUXGA (1,920 x1,200) outdoor display (up to 800 cd/m2 )
- 120cm shock-resistant
- Water and dust resistant (IP65)
- Up to nine hours battery life
- User field exchangeable battery
- Hot swap battery optional (in combination with business expansion module)
- USB 3.1 type C OTG
- Flexible configuration port (20 Barcode Reader, LAN)
- Integrated business expansion module (Smartcard Reader)