Panasonic Toughbook CF-18

Introduction
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I have only recently bought this laptop and have been very impressed with it. One of my jobs means that I need a laptop that I can take nearly any where but with the average laptop this impossible because you always fear that your brand new piece of technology that cost you an arm and a leg will get broken. With this toughbook I have found that this is not the issue any more.

Features
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CPU – The processor used is a form of centrino technology which decreases the amount of power required by the CPU allowing the battery to last four to six hours which is much longer than most other laptops today.

HDD – The hard drive is covered with a form of jelly which protects it from additional vibrations which would have destroyed the laptop on previous models.

Monitor – The monitor is only 10.4 inches allowing for it to fit into most bags as well as not taking up much room. This is very useful if you plan to take it into the out doors when you need to travel light.

Casing – The exterior of the casing is a magnesium alloy painted black. The standard connectors which you would often see on all laptops on the edges are protected with plastic covers providing additional protection.

Tablet Mode – This laptop comes with a tablet mode which allows you to turn the screen around to fold the monitor over the keyboard which turns it into a tablet and allows you to use it like a notepad with the ability of a touch screen.

Duriable - This laptop really is built to last because it is built to be sand proof, resistant to certain amounts of water (not waterproof) and resistant to falls from heights. I could not believe just how well built this laptop was until a friend of mine stood on his.

Disadvantage
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The main disadvantage about this laptop is that it does not come with an inbuilt optical drive which means you will have to go out and buy one specially. This is understandable because of the small size of the laptop.

Price – This laptop usually costs between two thousand and three thousand pounds if bought brand new.

System Specification
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Processor
- Intel® Pentium M ULV 1.2GHz

Chipset
- Intel 855GM

RAM
- 512 MB DDR-266 SDRAM expandable to 1280 MB

Display
- Touchscreen PC version: 10.4" 1024 x 768 (XGA) transmissive, outdoor-readable TFT Active Matrix Color LCD
- Tablet PC version: 10.4" 1024 x 768 (XGA) transmissive, outdoor-readable TFT Active Matrix Color LCD with Digitizer

Graphics
– Integrated

Audio
- SigmaTel STAC9767 AC`97, a built-in speaker

PC Cards slot
- Card Type II õ 2 or Type III x 1

HDD
- 40 GB

Optical storage
- External DVD/CD-RW Combo CF-VDRRT2W (bought separately)

I/O ports
- 1 x headphones jack
- 1 x microphone jack
- 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for an external monitor
- 1 serial port (only for modifications with Touchscreen)
- 1 x RJ11 Modem jack
- 1 x RJ45 LAN jack
- 2 x USB 2.0

Communications
- Ethernet 10/100, Fax modem 56K, Wi-Fi

Power supply
- Li-Ion battery 7.4V, 6600mAh, 4-6 hours of battery runtime

Conclusion
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Since I have had this laptop I have found it nothing sort of excellent. I would defiantly recommend this to anyone that has the money for it.