Panasonic Toughbook Notebooks Get Centrino 2 & Draft-N Upgrade

Panasonic's Toughbook range has always prioritised sturdy build above just about anything else, but in a welcome nod to processing power the company has announced that it will be upgrading the semi-rugged notebooks with Intel's new Centrino 2 processor.  Both the Toughbook CF-52 and Toughbook CF-74 will feature the new processor, as well as getting improvements in video performance, storage and networking.

Each Toughbook will now come with a 160GB hard-drive, mounted in a shock-resistant caddy, as well as draft-N WiFi.  Both already have magnesium alloy cases, flexible internal connectors, shock-mounted LCDs and spill-resistant keyboards. The CF-52 has a 15.4-inch widescreen LCD, while the smaller CF-74 has an outdoor-viewable 13.3-inch display.

Both updated models will be available in August. The Toughbook CF-52 will come in two configurations, value (with an estimated street price of $1,949) or premium for improved video and system performance (estimated street price of $2,849). The Toughbook CF-74 will have an estimated street price of $3,199.