Panasonic finally reveals its small and rugged handheld PC, the CF-U1, which is dedicated to field workers and practically anybody who works in a tough and jagged environment.

This is the first ultra-mobile PC, and perhaps one of the smallest around, that falls under the Toughbook product line. It is only 7 inches wide, 6 inches in deep and 2 inches in height. Working outdoors will not be a problem too since its 5.6-inch touch screen is both durable and viewable in sunlight.

This mobile PC boasts of an Intel powered processor (the low-energy Atom processor) and a more than enough memory of 1GB.

The CF-U1 may actually what you want. Its design and functions were based on a two-year study by Panasonic. This is Panasonic’s answer to the call of government and commercial institutions that need tough, small and mobile computers that can endure the danger of being out in the field and equipped by hardworking professionals like building inspectors, fire-fighters and other laborers. The result is a real hard hardware that has a 16GB drive.

The PC’s durability can be attributed to the fact that it has no moving parts. The device is lightweight at 2.3 pounds. Covered by magnesium alloy chassis, it is crash-proof up to 4 feet. It also has secure data capture options and it’s also Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capable.

This small yet mean machine costs $2,499 and will be available in the market by August.

Source: InformationWeek