The new model is targeted at field sales personnel, first responders, supervisors, inspectors, maintenance workers, and other mobile professionals.

No Wimp

Kyp Wallis, Panasonic's director of product management, said the H1 is "best positioned to meet the computing needs" of both highly mobile workers and their IT administrators. He added that the model's design is "based on extensive customer input to ensure it had the right mix of form factor, features and durability to maximize worker productivity and value."

The H1 is no wimp. It meets military spec MIL-STD-810G, and is rated able to withstand a six-foot drop. The chassis is magnesium alloy, encased in polycarbonate, and the sealed all-weather design is IP65-certified. The operating temperature range is -4 degrees to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Built around a 1.86-GHz Intel Atom processor with 2GB of RAM, the unit has six hours of battery life, can handle twin hot-swappable batteries, and has a 10.4-inch dual-touch display. A 64GB solid-state drive is reinforced, and there is an optional 2.0-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED lights.

There's also an optional SmartCard, RFID, bar code readers, GPS and Qualcomm's new Gobi2000 mobile broadband technology. At launch, the H1 Field is certified for Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless networks, and Panasonic said other carriers will soon be announced.

'Exceptional Ergonomics'

For workers who would use this device in direct sunlight, the screen has a circular polarizer, as well as antiglare and antireflective screen treatments.

Since many of the target users would be holding the unit for much of the workday, Panasonic said it utilized "exceptional ergonomics" so that a hand is "comfortably cradled" between the device and the molded hand strap. Attention was also paid to creating a well-balanced center of gravity in the 3.4-pound unit, as well as making sure that there are no areas of the tablet that heat up over time.

For security, options include a contactless or insertable SmartCard reader and a fingerprint reader.

Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, noted that the H1 Field runs Windows 7, which means there are already "thousands" of applications for vertical markets that will work on the device.

There are some business uses for which the iPad is well suited, he said. These include census work, light inventory, or taking surveys at shopping centers. "However," he added, "for outside environments where you need a rugged computer," the iPad is not the best choice.

But the iPad starts at $499. The base H1 Field model is expected to start at about $3,300 when it is available next month.
 

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