Panasonic Introduces The Toughpad FZ-M1 Fully-Rugged 7-Inch Tablet With Windows 8.1 Pro

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Panasonic, an industry leader in reliable and innovative mobile computers since 1996, today, at the 2014 International CES, introduced the latest member of its Toughpad^™ family of rugged, enterprise-grade tablets. The Toughpad FZ-M1 is the thinnest* and lightest* rugged 7-inch fanless tablet with a 4^th generation Intel^® Core^™ i5 processor available today. Running Windows 8.1 Pro, the Toughpad FZ-M1 can be easily incorporated into enterprise and government environments. With a broad range of configuration options available, it can be customized to meet the unique needs of highly mobile professionals in various markets such as field services and sales, retail, supply chain and logistics, and government.

"Most tablets on the market today are designed to be 'good enough' to meet most users' needs. But 'good enough' won't cut it for a large portion of the mobile workforce, who need tools they can depend on in challenging conditions to get the job done without compromise," said Rance Poehler, president, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. "The Toughpad FZ-M1 is built for those workers. Its highly portable and compact size, power, connectivity and configuration options, and sheer toughness make it the ideal tablet to connect mission-critical workers of all types with the data they need to do their jobs at any time."

The Toughpad FZ-M1 is designed to improve productivity and efficiency in a host of professional scenarios, including customer service, inventory management and asset tracking, maintenance, eForms, route delivery, eCitations, electronic medical records, inspections, mobile point-of-sales and geographic information system (GIS).

Unlike many consumer tablets and other competitive products, the Toughpad FZ-M1 is built for easy integration into existing IT infrastructures and for smooth deployments and ongoing support. The device also delivers organizations with better and longer life cycle management that means a lower total cost of ownership, saving time and resources.

Enterprise-Class Performance
The Toughpad FZ-M1 is powered by the new 4th generation Intel^® Core^™ i5 vPro^™ processor, providing enterprise-class performance on the go with unique hardware enhanced security features, remote manageability and capabilities designed to increase end user productivity and data protection. An Intel^® Bay Trail-M processor model will also be available for cost-sensitive applications.

Its user-replaceable battery delivers 8 hours of uninterrupted work, with quick-charging technology that reaches 100% capacity in just two and a half hours. An optional high capacity battery delivers 16 hours of power, and an optional bridge battery enables users to switch out batteries without powering down the device, providing for virtually unlimited use.

Thin, Light & Rugged
At 1.2 lbs. and only 0.7" thin for the standard configuration, the Toughpad FZ-M1 is the world's lightest* and thinnest* tablet in its class. Its fully-rugged design is tested to meet MIL-STD-810G specifications for drops (up to 5 feet), shock, vibration, altitude, humidity and extreme temperatures. The FZ-M1 is the first rugged 7-inch 4th generation Intel^® Core^™ i5 tablet with a fanless design***, allowing it to easily meet IP65 standards for rain and dust. The tablet has also been submitted for ANSI 12.12.1 certification (Class1, Div2) for use in incendiary environments.

Display Designed For Mobile Workers
The Toughpad FZ-M1's 7-inch, 500 nit, daylight-readable WXGA display features an anti-reflective screen treatment, making it ideal for outdoor use. Its high-sensitivity capacitive, 10-point multi-touch screen can even be used with thick industrial-type gloves. An optional stylus is available for signature capture and similar applications.

Highly Configurable
The Toughpad FZ-M1 offers a broad range of configuration options, allowing organizations to customize the ideal tool for their workforces. Configuration options include dedicated GPS, Barcode reader, Ethernet or serial port; and a choice of near field communications (NFC), SmartCard reader, UHF radio-frequency identification (RFID) (up to 10 ft. range), or Magnetic Stripe reader. Additionally, the Toughpad FZ-M1 is the first rugged 7-inch tablet on the market offering 4G LTE multi-carrier embedded wireless broadband connectivity, enabling IT administrators to switch carriers via software to select the best 4G LTE carrier for their workers for any geographic area.

Toughpad FZ-M1: Key Features

• High-Performance Processing Power: 4th generation Intel^® Core^™ i5 vPro^™ processor, or an Intel^® Bay Trail-M processor (available Summer 2014)
• Operating System: Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit with Windows 7 Professional downgrade option available
• Durability: MIL-STD-810G, 5' drop, IP65 fully sealed fanless design
• Screen: 7-inch daylight-readable WXGA display (1280x800); high-sensitivity 10-point capacitive multitouch input, with an optional Stylus pen
• Storage & Memory: 128GB SSD (256GB SSD option available) with 8 GB RAM (Intel^® Core^™ i5 vPro processor model)
• Connectivity & I/O: Intel^® Dual Band Wireless-AC7260 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth^® v4.0 (Class 1), USB 3.0, micro SDXC card slot, docking connector, optional 4G LTE multi-carrier embedded wireless broadband. Other options include dedicated GPS, Barcode reader, Ethernet, serial port, and choice of near field communications (NFC), SmartCard reader, UHF radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader (up to 10 ft. range), or Magnetic Stripe reader
• Lightweight Portability: 1.2 lbs., 0.7" thin (standard configuration)
• Battery: 8 hours per MobileMark^® 2007 testing (user-replaceable); optional hot swap bridge battery and high capacity battery (16 hours) available
• Camera: 720P built-in front camera with mic; 5MP rear camera with auto focus and LED light
• Security: Enterprise-class security features include encryption, IPsec VPN, trusted boot and root protection
• Warranty: The Toughpad FZ-M1 is backed by the industry's most comprehensive 3-year warranty and U.S.-based customer support

For a full list of specifications and more detailed information on the Toughpad FZ-M1, visit http://www.PanasonicToughpad.com.

As with other Toughpad models, Panasonic will offer a full set of enterprise-grade accessories to support the Toughpad FZ-M1, including cases, mounts, printers, keyboards and multi-unit storage and charging solutions.

Pricing and Availability
The Toughpad FZ-M1 Intel^® Core^™ i5 vPro^™ processor model will be available in early spring 2014 at a street price of $2,099.

All Toughpad tablets can be purchased through authorized Panasonic resellers.

Sales inquiries for Panasonic's Toughpad family of tablets should be directed to [email protected] or 877-803-8492.

International CES 2014
The Toughpad FZ-M1 will be showcased as part of Panasonic's full line of solutions for business at International CES 2014, Central Hall Booth #9806, this week in Las Vegas. Panasonic today at International CES also announced the Toughpad 4K UT-MA6 tablet, the performance model of the world's first 20-inch tablet with a 4K resolution display. Featuring a high-performance Intel^® Core^™ i7-3687U vPro^™ processor with an NVIDIA^® Quadro^® K1000M GPU, and an advanced beyond-Ultra HD display providing a lifelike viewing experience unlike any tablet on the market, the Toughpad 4K performance model is built to enable mobile productivity for professionals in graphic-intensive fields such as computer-aided design (CAD) and video editing.

Follow the Toughpad™ Brand (#Toughpad):
The Panasonic Toughpad brand can be followed on various social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and our blog, Panasonic for Business.

*World's lightest and thinnest rugged 7-inch fanless tablet with a 4th generation Intel^® Core™ i5 processor as of Jan. 6, 2014 (standard configuration)

***First rugged 7-inch 4th generation Intel^® Core™ i tablet with a fanless design as of Jan. 6, 2014

Panasonic Solutions for Business
Panasonic delivers reliable business technology solutions that connect data with decision makers to drive better outcomes—for our customers and our customers' customers. Panasonic engineers reliable products and solutions that help to create, capture and deliver data of all types, where, when and how it is needed. The complete suite of Panasonic professional solutions for government and commercial enterprises of all sizes addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, visual communications (projectors, displays, digital signage) and HD video production. Panasonic solutions for business are delivered by Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation.

All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic solutions for business can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at us.panasonic.com/business-solutions/.

About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and services for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation, and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand's 2013 Annual "Best Global Green Brands" report, the Panasonic brand ranked number four, the highest ranked electronics brand in the report (http://bit.ly/17ezCDI). As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility built to meet LEED certification standards, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ. Learn more about Panasonic at www.panasonic.com.

SOURCE Panasonic Corporation of North America