Thin, sleek, light and sexy. These were the
ingredients chosen to create the perfect looking notebook. But with Panasonic,
it crushed all those expectations ala brute force. Thus, the Toughbook has
arrived. Using its ultra-super-powers, the Panasonic ToughBook CF19 dedicates
its life to fighting crime and the forces of evil! Alright, maybe I overdid the
Powder-puff Girls introduction a bit (I have no regrets!). Jokes aside,
Panasonic’s rugged line is back. I can finally crank my entire torture device
all the way to ‘maximum’ settings. Let’s see if the notebook lives up to the
name.
Panasonic
Toughbook CF19
Hello captain America
Forget about all those wonderful flourishes
you see decorated on other notebooks. The Toughbook is fitted with magnesium
alloy and some plastic to take any form of heavy beating. There are covers to
close the ports with nuts and bolts around the notebook too! Outsiders will
think I am carry a briefcase with gold inside. The Toughbook is as heavy as it
is thick. I can understand that as this rugged notebook is meant to go through
inhospitable areas. I don’t want something like a MacBook in a construction
site. Despite the heft, it is pretty light and compact. At 2.3 kg, I see no
reason to complain. However, I do feel the weight when I am carrying it in my
bag. So for those who want to avoid long term back pain, they can use the
attached hand strap to carry it around.
Transform!!!
Like most convertibles now, the CF19 also
has a unique feature that I like: a swiveling screen. It allows me to rotate
the screen 180 degrees clockwise on the central hinge, which I then can push
down on the keyboard to activate its tablet mode. It is the thickest tablet I
will ever find but, really, I don’t mind. Oh no, there is no keyboard and
touchpad to command the Toughbook! No worries because it is also have
touchscreen feature. Though, it is only one-touch point but it’s better than
nothing at all. There is also a slot to slip out the stylus if there is need to
use it.
Like
most convertibles now, the CF19 also has a unique feature that I like: a
swiveling screen
Too much light
Aside from the swiveling screen, the
display also comes equipped with a matte TFT display. Direct sunlight will
never be a bother but if it does, just pump up the brightness as the display
can be turned up to very, very bright levels. The downside here is the contrast
tends to lean towards being saturated with white a little. Colors won’t look
vivid; instead, it is all washed out. Just keep in mind the CF19 isn’t trying
to be an entertainment machine.
Why, why, why?
Being a notebook that is needed in dire
environments, I am really disappointed with the keyboard and touchpad. Both are
cramp, making the typing and navigating experience horrible. Looking at the
keyboard, I swear I have created a new record for how often one can make many
typos in a minute. There is no decent room for my fingers to move around
freely. Think of it as ten persons trying to type a message on one phone. The
touchpad is of no help at all too. The response is like a sloth and at times,
it didn’t register my touch at all. When I am in a hostile setting, I need to
send my secret encrypted code easily, not assemble jigsaw puzzles. And that is
why the touchscreen interface is a blessing.
Every
port is covered in either a rubber seal or latching and locking flap and each
flap boasts a rubber gasket to prevent the ingress of water and dust
Kamehameha!
Trust me when I say “abuse the notebook
however you want to”. There are so many wonderful things I can do to the
Toughbook. How tough is it? Let me tell you my expedition with the notebook. I
let it fall down a flight of stairs, pour water on it, heat it up in an oven,
freeze it in my refrigerator, stand on it, drop it at a height close to one
meter and shall I continue? Yes, I will. Also, I fling it against a wall, sit
on it, jump on it and drag it through sand. Yes, I am sure you cringe when you
read about all the colorful things I do to it. Not to worry, it is still
functioning and works like a charm. Take note that some of the tests are
conducted while the notebook is powered on. After all the trials, I realized,
it is not the notebook I need to worry about, it is the environment. I managed
to crack the floor when I tossed the CF19 around. Also, I fear I may make a
hole in the wall if I fling the CF19 one more time. If two Toughbooks ever
collide, a Big Bang will occur. This is the real doomsday machine.
It’s working!
The
CF19 also comes with an attached hand strap which lets you carry it around like
a briefcase
That’s the durability test. Now comes the
CF19’s performance. This review unit has an Intel Core i7-2640M running at
2.8GHz with 4GB of RAM. Even when using the previous generation Intel
processor, the performance is still silky smooth. I install and run several
different programs in it and the notebook doesn’t show any sign of slowing
down. When it comes to playing games, try simpler ones instead of Battlefield 3
or any other games that requires a graphics card. Let me remind you, this is
not a gaming notebook. However, it will get your works done. Hurray for
productivity!
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Specifications
§ Price:
$2.500
§ Dimensions
(HxWxD): 49 x 271 x 216 mm
§ Weight:
2.3 kg
§ Processor:
Intel Core i7-2640M
§ Graphics:
Intel HD Graphics 3000
§ Memory:
4GB RAM
§ Storage:
320 GB
§ Operating
System: Windows 7 Professional 32-bit
§ Display:
10.1in TFT Display
§ Connectivity:
LAN, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
§ Ports:
USB, Modem, LAN, external display, expansion bus connector, 2 x IEEE 1394a
interface connector, microphone jack, headphone jack
§ PCMark07:
2083
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