Panasonic Toughbook W8

The W8 is one of three models in Panasonic's 'business-rugged' line of Toughbook notebook computers. It is designed to be extremely lightweight and durable while meeting the computing needs of traveling businesspeople.

The 12.1-inch W8 weighs 3.0 pounds, and has a removable, shock-mounted 120GB hard drive and spill-resistant keyboard. In addition to durability, the W8 includes several security features, including vPro technology within its Intel Centrino 2 processor, which clocks in at 1.2 GHz, and theft protection. With a mid-range dual-core processor and 3 GB of RAM, the W8 aims to provide the performance required by Panasonic's intended demographic, while optional integrated global mobile internet and standard Bluetooth 2.0+EDR further target the mobile, mid-to-high-end business market. Compared to the similar Toughbook T8, the W8 sacrifices graphics performance and several secondary features for marginally improved portability, but adds a DVD drive and is offered at a slightly lower price point. A lithium ion battery pack provides 7 hours of battery life. Windows Vista Business is normally included, but buyers may choose to downgrade to XP.