Panasonic Toughbook F8

By Jamie Bsales on January 8, 2009 We’ve always been fans of Panasonic’s Toughbook line, especially its durable ultraportables. The all-new Toughbook F8 brings Intel’s Centrino 2 platform to a machine that is impressively light given its 14.1-inch widescreen and integrated optical drive. However, it’s hard to overlook the steep $2,499 price tag, especially since the F8’s keyboard is less than stellar and the system lacks such features as a built-in webcam and fingerprint reader. Given its durability and long battery life, though, the F8 is worth the premium for those who spend a lot of time out of the office. Design With its angular two-tone chassis, the Toughbook F8 looks bulky for a thin-and-light, an impression confirmed by the machine’s 1.9-inch thickness at its rear (the case tapers to 1.3 inches at its front). But Panasonic assures us that the Toughbook F8 is the lightest 14.1-inch widescreen machine with built-in 3G wireless broadband and an onboard optical drive. Indeed, lifting it by the integrated handle, which cleverly folds flush against the front edge of the notebook, we were surprised by how light it is—a scant 3.7 pounds to be precise, a welcome reprieve from the 4- to 5-pound heft of many other 14.1-inch thin-and-lights. Credit the magnesium alloy case, which shaves weight while adding more rigidity to protect the screen and other components. That said, the design might not be to everyone’s liking. Seeing the chic-sleek direction of models, like the new Apple MacBook and HP EliteBook lines, the chunky Panasonic seems a bit Transformer-esque. We’re also not sold on the circular touchpad. In addition to being visually distracting in your peripheral vision—circles scream “Look at me,” which is why advertising and packaging designers love them—it delivers annoyingly little usable mousing surface, especially when you take into account the scroll area. Keyboard and Ports The unique placement of the optical drive under the palm rest gives Panasonic more room for ports on the side of the machine, but also pushes the keyboard much closer to the screen, which takes getting used to. The keyboard itself offers full-size letter keys and provided good tactile and audible feedback while typing, though the smallish right Shift and Enter keys may take some adjustment. We’re also disappointed that Panasonic failed to include dedicated multimedia or even volume controls; you’ll have to use the controls provided in the application for the former and Function-key combos for the latter. Panasonic included just the basic ports: three USB, headphone, mic, VGA, Ethernet, modem, and a mini port replicator connector. You won’t find FireWire, HDMI, or eSATA here, nor did our configuration have a webcam or fingerprint reader—two essential items for business computing these days. (Panasonic said a fingerprint reader will be available in future models.) The Toughbook F8 does include a PC Card II slot and an SD/SDHC Card reader, though.

Quick Specs Full Specs : CPU: 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P9300 RAM: 3GB Hard Drive: 160GB/5,400 rpm Display: 14.1 inches/1280 x 800 Size: 12.8 x 9.9 x 1.9 inches Weight: 3.7 pounds Price as Reviewed: $2499

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