The ultraportable Toughbook eLite W5 is now available for purchase in seven color options: Steel Gray, Merlot, Galaxy Black, Glacier White, Blueprint, Rosehip and the new "Crown Blue," which, according to Pantone, connotes independence and creativity. The eLite W5 has a 12.1inch anti-glare display, an integrated multi-drive, an 8-hour battery life, and weighs just 2.7 pounds.
The thin-and-light Toughbook eLite Y5 will be available next month in six colors, including Steel Gray, Galaxy Black, Skylight Blue, Firehouse Red, Deepsea, and the new "Bronze Brown," a rustic earthy color Pantone created to embody comfort and sensibility. The Y5 has a larger display at 14.1 inches, weighs only 3.4 pounds and offers up to 6-hours of battery life, depending on use conditions.
In addition to their lightweight design, both computers offer enhanced durability with magnesium alloy cases and shock mounted hard drives. The Y5 also includes a water resistant, "spill through" keyboard.
"Based on our heritage of delivering rugged, reliable notebook PCs for extreme mobile users, we developed features and designs for our eLite line that satisfy consumers needs for both style and substance," said Marca Armstrong, director of marketing, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company. "In addition to more color choices developed by market leader and color expert Pantone, our new lightweight eLites are packed with features for the on-the-go consumer, including incredibly long battery life, a magnesium alloy case and shock-mounted hard drive, a DVD-burner and integrated WLAN to handle life at home or on the road."
"Color is an intrinsic ingredient to the success of all products being developed today," said Tod Schulman, vice president, Pantone Fashion and Home Division. "Companies should always stay a little ahead of their customers and anticipate the newness that will grab their attention."
According to a recent poll, consumers have little confidence in the durability of their portable PCs and they have been let down by poor battery performance. In the "Panasonic Toughbook 2006 Laptop Survey" of more than 1,000 consumers conducted with online research firm Russell Research, consumers were asked what they consider to be the most important laptop features.
The survey revealed that 75 percent of online consumers cite laptop durability and long battery life as "critically important." Yet, more than 60 percent of those surveyed say the longest battery life they?ve actually experienced is less than three hours. In addition, more than 70 percent feel their laptop is not durable enough to be stored in checked baggage.
"We believe these survey findings reflect the changing needs of consumers who want to be able to work anywhere on their PC," added Armstrong. "Our new Toughbook eLite W5 and Y5 offer quality, reliability and durability in a fashionable lightweight design to fit customers personal style."
In addition to their impressive battery performance, the eLite W5 and Y5 are factory-tested to withstand a drop of 1' and the shock-mounted hard drives are tested to withstand a drop of 2.5 feet. In addition, both models are tested to withstand more than 220 pounds of compression on the lid and base.
The ultraportable Panasonic Toughbook eLite W5, with its integrated multi-drive, 12.1 inch anti-glare LCD, and weight of just 2.7 pounds, is ideal for mobile consumers who demand the standard features found in larger notebooks at a decreased size and weight. Equipped with the Intel Centrino chipset for wireless LAN connections, the W5 is equipped with an ultra-low voltage Intel Core Solo processor and battery life of more than eight hours.
With a 14.1 inch display, the Toughbook eLite Y5 weighs only 3.4 pounds and boasts six hours of battery life, depending on use conditions. The Y5 includes a built-in multi-drive, high-speed Intel Core Duo low voltage processor, and the Intel Centrino chipset for wireless LAN connections. In addition to the magnesium alloy case and shock-mounted hard drive, the eLite Y5 includes Panasonic's unique "spill-through" keyboard, designed to reduce the risks of liquid damage.
These products are available exclusively online from the Panasonic Direct store.