Spring 2006

Our impression

Panasonic is well known for its Toughbook range of ruggedised notebooks, but the range also includes handheld computers such as the CF-P1. This is one of the new breed of ruggedised handhelds - designed for flexibility, so it sports a host of connectivity options, expansion slots and input methods.

A GSM/GPRS card with voice and data capability is standard, as is an infra-red port. A Bluetooth connection and barcode scanning are optional, and so is integrated WLAN for local connectivity. Bluetooth and infra-red are both useful for connecting to mobile peripherals such as printers; it worked perfectly with our Pentax mobile printer. Memory card slots are included for saving and transferring data.

You can enter data with a stylus via the touch screen or by using the integrated 38-key keyboard.

 

Data is displayed on the 3.5in colour LCD screen. Lighting front and back maintains visibility both in poor light and in direct sunlight.

Anyone familiar with the Microsoft Windows operating system will recognise the icons in the Pocket PC version employed on the CF-P1.

As a member of the Toughbook family, you'd expect the CF-P1 to score highly on ruggedness and it does. It comes in a magnesium alloy case and meets some of the toughest environmental tests, including the 1.2-metre MIL-STD drop test. Sealed ports improve dust and water resistance, and it will carry on working down to minus 29 deg C or up to 60 deg C.

Our verdict

There are no surprises with the Panasonic CF-P1. It looks reassuringly tough and capable of coping with whatever task you put it to. The data entry options make it suitable for both menu-driven and keyboard entry tasks, but its real appeal lies in the connectivity options.

Specification

• CF-P1 Toughbook
• Processor Intel XScale PXA-263 400 MHz Microprocessor Cache 32 KB I-Cache, 32 KB D-Cache
• Memory RAM/ROM 64 MB RAM/ROM
• Operating system Microsoft Windows Pocket PC 2003
• Screen LCD reflective sunlight-readable 3.5in active matrix (TFT) color-LCD with front light; 240 x 320 pixels, 65,536 colors Magnesium alloy LCD cabinet
• Size 98 mm x 203 mm x 41 mm
• Weight 540g excluding holster belt
• Power 7.4 V, 2.1 Ah) lithium-ion battery
• Up to 32 hours' operation without front light, up to 10 hours with. Three-hour battery charge time. Rechargeable back-up battery 3.0V 100mA capacity.
• Input interfaces Keyboard 38- or 10-key keyboard with backlight; 4 programmable function keys; 4-direction cursor-control pad touch screen with stylus pen; IrDA 1.2. Options: integrated WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, barcode scanner
• Expansion slots 16-pin 115.2 Kbps expansion slot (serial RS-232C or USB); Expansion slots 1 x SD card digital; 1 Compact-Flash card I/II; configurable RF-slot
• Interfaces DC-in port; headphones/speakers.
• Communications GSM/GPRS
• Environmental/ruggedness Conforms to IP54 and MIL-STD 810F for water and dust resistance, MIL-STD 810F 516.5 for shock and MIL-STD 514.5 category 24 for vibration. Humidity resistance is 95 per cent and operating temperatures are from minus 29 deg C to 60 deg C with power on.