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Telematics – an intelligent future, like it or not
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June/July 2008
Rugged ultra-mobile PC from Panasonic
 Panasonic has put in a bid for the rugged end of the fast-emerging market for ultra-mobile PCs, adding a UMPC model to its ToughBook range. It is the CF-U1 Toughbook, and it certainly looks the part. It is just 151mm (5.9in) wide, yet Panasonic has found room to squeeze in a full QWERTY keyboard under the 5.6in wide sunlight-viewable touch screen (there is in fact a choice of keyboard layouts). The weight is put at 1060g. The CF-U1 runs the full Windows product (XP or Vista), not a mobile version. Panasonic claims this distinguishes it from rival products. The processor is Intel's Atom model, rated at 1.33 MHz. This is matched with a 16GB or 32 GB solid state 'disk' and 1 GB of RAM. Wi-Fi wireless networking is built in, and many other options are on offer, including GPS, one- or two-dimensional barcode readers, RFID technology, a 2 megapixel camera and a fingerprint reader. Useful features include anti-slip sides, a strap designed to prevent wrist stress, and leaf-shaped diagonally-spaced keys to reduce mis-typing. 
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