A portable machine for tough corners: Panasonic Toughbook CF 20

Panasonic Toughbook CF 20

The Panasonic Toughbook CF 20 is a vibrant and distinguished rugged machine that succeeds the similarly robust Panasonic Toughbook CF 20 another 10.1-inch computer, but with a convertible and swiveling screen which is quite a variation from the standard detachable tablet models.

The screen of the Panasonic Toughbook CF 20 is a sunlight-viewable IPS unit with a resolution of 1,920 by 1,200 pixels and a brightness of up to 800cd/m2 (224ppi). It has a 10-point capacitive touchscreen with a Dual-Touch option that incorporates an IP55-rated digitizer. Panasonic's PC Settings Utility lets you choose between using the touchscreen and the mouse.

Panasonic says that the Toughbook CF 20’s 29.6 Why li-ion battery would last 7 hours, which we confirmed in our power-consumption testing: we calculated longevities of 11.7h and 2.6h, respectively, with the system idling at 25% screen brightness and executing a hard task at 100% brightness. Just over 7 hours is the midpoint between these extremes, which generally corresponds to typical workloads with average screen brightness. If you have the optional second battery, you should get approximately 14 hours, according to Panasonic. Battery hot-swapping is also possible on the Panasonic Toughbook CF 20 which is made possible by an optional bridge battery.

We found the Panasonic Toughbook CF-20's IPS high-brightness screen to be highly readable from a broad variety of angles both indoors and, more significantly, outdoors. When not in use, the digitizer pen retracts inside the right-hand side of the tablet and is attached to an extended tether for field usage.

The keyboard part of the Panasonic Toughbook adds 37mm to the depth of the device, due to a curved section that supports a robust pull-out carrying handle. Dell's 10.1-inch Venue Pro, on the other hand, weighs 1.26kg with an add-on keyboard.

The keyboard itself is a well-equipped, though somewhat compact, device, with 83 tiny island-style keys. The Enter key and the spacebar are very small, and it may take some time to get used to them.

However, we didn't like the tiny two-button touchpad despite the excellent keyboard. We're used to touchpads that respond smoothly even with a gentle touch of the finger(s), but to prevent jerky cursor movement on our review device, you had to push particularly firmly.

The Panasonic Toughbook cf 20 is secured in place on the keyboard base by a firmly hinged cradle. There are two connection points in the cradle part, which are released by a sliding release switch in the center. This releasing mechanism can be secured by a switch that moves upwards for further security. The hinge rotates 180 degrees, allowing the screen to lay flat on a desk; the screen may also be attached in 'presentation' mode, facing away from the user.

The battery grip storage a docking connector, and an attachment for external antennae are all located on the bottom of the keyboard unit.

The Panasonic Toughbook CF 20 has a state of art vehicle Dock, a robust device with full port replication, and an optional twin antenna pass-through is one of several attachments available to outfit the Panasonic Toughbook CF-20 for certain use scenarios. Two user-programmable buttons, volume up and down, a Windows button, auto rotate on/off, and power-on are all located beneath the screen. Three LEDs indicate the status of the battery, Wi-Fi, and power.

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