Dubai, Asharq Al-Awsat- Panasonic, has announced the Middle East launch of its semi-rugged Panasonic Toughbook computers. The new release, Panasonic Toughbook CF-74, is designed to be a durable, wireless computing solution for today’s mobile worker.

The Toughbook-74 is built from the ground up for mobility. It incorporates the new 1.83-gigahertz Intel Core Duo Processor T2400, an 80GB shock-mounted HDD and a standard 512MB SDRAM (DDR2), which is expandable to 4,096MB. With integrated local area wireless, the latest semi-rugged Toughbook offers high quality, reliable wireless access to data. The WLAN connection can be switched off at the touch of a button, a useful energy saving feature.

Built with a magnesium alloy case, integrated handle, spill-resistant keyboard, daylight-readable screen and battery life of approximately eight hours, Toughbook-74 comes equipped with an extra anti-reflex coating as a new security feature, and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM v.1.2) security chip, that help protect sensitive information.

“If Panasonic has become an industry leader in the technology segment, the reasons can be traced to the company’s sustained focus on quality and a customer-driven development process,” said Asahiko Ono, General Manager, System solutions. “At the same time, we believe bringing out upgraded versions of existing products by adding significant new features is vital to retaining our competitive edge.”

“Increased IT literacy levels and a new affluence have led to widespread popularity of notebook PCs in the Middle East. Panasonic has been able to successfully leverage this trend to its advantage, and we are confident that the launch of Textbook-74 will meet with enthusiastic response and thus allow us to further strengthen our market position in the region,” Ono added.

The Toughbook-74 is built on the success of its predecessor, the Toughbook-73, which has been deployed by hundreds of enterprises, government agencies, and mobile workers across all industries.