December 16, 2009 at 20:01Businessman companion - Panasonic TOUGHBOOK CF-T8 laptop
We are talking about a very unusual laptop CF-T8 from the series "mobile companion of a business person." The entire line of Panasonic laptops is very specific. These laptops are designed for special applications and, as before, remain a rarity in our country - this makes acquaintance with them only more interesting. By the way, TOUGHBOOK laptops are made in Japan at Panasonic's own factories, which also deserves attention.
Today on the market there are many laptop models for corporate users - from simple "workhorses" to premium laptops. Mobile laptops designed for work outside the office belong to a special category - manufacturers try to make them as suitable as possible for work on trips.
So that managers traveling on business trips willingly take a laptop with them, manufacturers are constantly improving technologies to make laptops compact, lightweight and long-lasting on battery power.
Panasonic engineers have their own view on mobile laptops - they believe that a business laptop should not only be compact, lightweight, long-lasting on battery power, but also protected .
Panasonic - great experts in the production of rugged laptops - since the mid 90's they have been producing "indestructible" laptops of the TOUGHBOOK line.
Some of the protective properties of industrial models were applied in business notebooks. So in the early 2000s, a line of rugged mobile business notebooks was born, called the “Let's Note”.
The seventh and eighth series of this line are currently being delivered. The hero of this review is the TOUGHBOOK CF-T8 laptop.
According to the specifications on the manufacturer’s website, the TOUGHBOOK CF-T8 is a lightweight (1.38 kg) 12.1 ″ touchscreen laptop that lasts up to 8 hours from a standard battery, withstands shock, pressure up to 100 kg, vibration, and falling from a height up to 76 cm (on) and spills of liquid on the keyboard.
The laptop case is made entirely of magnesium alloy. In some places, small inserts made of plastic are provided so that the WiFi and Bluetooth antennas can "break through".
The display lid is reinforced with stiffeners - outwardly resembles the hood of an SUV. Inside the case is also reinforced with stiffeners, which allows to achieve high strength, even with thin-walled casting.
The laptop can not be called ultra-thin. It is slightly thicker than the Lenovo X61.
Thickening of the case - a design feature necessary to protect the internal components of the laptop from shock, squeezing and vibration. The hard drive is located in a special protective casing, equipped with dampers, and is connected to the motherboard by a flexible cable. The corners of the front side of the cover and the case have special grooves, thanks to which the cover does not move relative to the case when the laptop falls when it is closed.
The display hinges are also rugged.
On the lower edge of the housing you can see the drain hole of the drainage system (rectangular with rounded corners). When hit on the keyboard, the fluid drains through the drain and does not enter the body.
The developers took care of the convenience of working when standing, when you need to hold the laptop in your hands, and equipped the CF-T8 with a touch screen. Rubber strap allows you to securely fasten the laptop in your hand.
A set of interfaces and their layout on the case are standard for a corporate laptop.
The keyboard is comfortable (for such a baby). The Ctrl key is in its place (by the way, using the utility included in the package, you can programmatically swap the Ctrl and Fn keys. For the small size of the laptop, some keys had to be squeezed. Nevertheless, most of the keys used in “blind” printing are practically not too much. The cross buttons are tight enough, but you can get used to it.
The touchpad is very unusual - it has a round shape. If you drag a circle along the edge of the touchpad, scrolling will work (like in iPods). The
touch screen responds well to clicks. It is made using resistive rather than capacitive technology; it senses pressing with a stylus and finger (even with a glove).
Color rendering and viewing angles of the TN + Film matrix leave much to be desired, but it is quite suitable for office work.
Both positioning and performance indicators suggest that the laptop is designed for office tasks - nothing more.
With working WiFi and an average screen brightness, the laptop lasted 6.5 hours - an excellent result for a regular battery (exactly the one with which the laptop weighs 1.38 kg).
It turns out a reliable laptop for those who often travel on business trips or work mainly outside the office. The degree of protection used in the CF-T8 allows the laptop to withstand most of the hardships of an active life and reduce the risk of being left with a “broken trough” at the most crucial moment. Those who appreciate stability and for whom losses from downtime, missed opportunities and data loss significantly exceed the cost of a laptop, it is recommended to pay attention to this model. Given the high price of the CF-T8, it can be in demand in large companies.
Lyrical digression
Today on the market there are many laptop models for corporate users - from simple "workhorses" to premium laptops. Mobile laptops designed for work outside the office belong to a special category - manufacturers try to make them as suitable as possible for work on trips.
So that managers traveling on business trips willingly take a laptop with them, manufacturers are constantly improving technologies to make laptops compact, lightweight and long-lasting on battery power.
Panasonic engineers have their own view on mobile laptops - they believe that a business laptop should not only be compact, lightweight, long-lasting on battery power, but also protected .
Panasonic - great experts in the production of rugged laptops - since the mid 90's they have been producing "indestructible" laptops of the TOUGHBOOK line.
Some of the protective properties of industrial models were applied in business notebooks. So in the early 2000s, a line of rugged mobile business notebooks was born, called the “Let's Note”.
The seventh and eighth series of this line are currently being delivered. The hero of this review is the TOUGHBOOK CF-T8 laptop.
According to the specifications on the manufacturer’s website, the TOUGHBOOK CF-T8 is a lightweight (1.38 kg) 12.1 ″ touchscreen laptop that lasts up to 8 hours from a standard battery, withstands shock, pressure up to 100 kg, vibration, and falling from a height up to 76 cm (on) and spills of liquid on the keyboard.
Constructive
The laptop case is made entirely of magnesium alloy. In some places, small inserts made of plastic are provided so that the WiFi and Bluetooth antennas can "break through".
The display lid is reinforced with stiffeners - outwardly resembles the hood of an SUV. Inside the case is also reinforced with stiffeners, which allows to achieve high strength, even with thin-walled casting.
The laptop can not be called ultra-thin. It is slightly thicker than the Lenovo X61.
Thickening of the case - a design feature necessary to protect the internal components of the laptop from shock, squeezing and vibration. The hard drive is located in a special protective casing, equipped with dampers, and is connected to the motherboard by a flexible cable. The corners of the front side of the cover and the case have special grooves, thanks to which the cover does not move relative to the case when the laptop falls when it is closed.
The display hinges are also rugged.
On the lower edge of the housing you can see the drain hole of the drainage system (rectangular with rounded corners). When hit on the keyboard, the fluid drains through the drain and does not enter the body.
The developers took care of the convenience of working when standing, when you need to hold the laptop in your hands, and equipped the CF-T8 with a touch screen. Rubber strap allows you to securely fasten the laptop in your hand.
A set of interfaces and their layout on the case are standard for a corporate laptop.
Governing bodies
The keyboard is comfortable (for such a baby). The Ctrl key is in its place (by the way, using the utility included in the package, you can programmatically swap the Ctrl and Fn keys. For the small size of the laptop, some keys had to be squeezed. Nevertheless, most of the keys used in “blind” printing are practically not too much. The cross buttons are tight enough, but you can get used to it.
The touchpad is very unusual - it has a round shape. If you drag a circle along the edge of the touchpad, scrolling will work (like in iPods). The
touch screen responds well to clicks. It is made using resistive rather than capacitive technology; it senses pressing with a stylus and finger (even with a glove).
Screen
Color rendering and viewing angles of the TN + Film matrix leave much to be desired, but it is quite suitable for office work.
Brief Specifications
- Intel Core 2 Duo Processor 1.4 GHz, 3 MB Cache
- 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM (max. 4 GB)
- Integrated Intel GS45 Graphics
- 160 GB hard drive
- 12.1 ″ anti-glare touch screen, XGA
- WLAN 802.11 b / g, Bluetooth 2.0, 3G (optional)
- Up to 8 hours of battery life
- Weight 1385 g.
Both positioning and performance indicators suggest that the laptop is designed for office tasks - nothing more.
Battery life
With working WiFi and an average screen brightness, the laptop lasted 6.5 hours - an excellent result for a regular battery (exactly the one with which the laptop weighs 1.38 kg).
conclusions
It turns out a reliable laptop for those who often travel on business trips or work mainly outside the office. The degree of protection used in the CF-T8 allows the laptop to withstand most of the hardships of an active life and reduce the risk of being left with a “broken trough” at the most crucial moment. Those who appreciate stability and for whom losses from downtime, missed opportunities and data loss significantly exceed the cost of a laptop, it is recommended to pay attention to this model. Given the high price of the CF-T8, it can be in demand in large companies.