The 24-Hour Laptop – Panasonic’s Toughbook 31


PanasonicToughbook31-1I'd say one of the best things about great battery performance is not having to lug around a power cord with you. As easy as it is to plug in your smartphone while driving in your car, the same luxury does not normally exist for a laptop. You'll need the big boy wall outlet for that one. How about just losing the power cord all together? The 24-hour laptop is here, and it is causing a lot of excitement.

By Panasonic, it's called Toughbook 31, predecessor to the original Toughbook. Announced to the world on Monday, the laptop can apparently run for about 18 hours nonstop without being plugged in. That kinda negates the whole “24-hour laptop” entitlement. But, the Toughbook still outruns its biggest competition out there- the Dell XPS 13, and Lenovo ThinkPad X250, which were both shown off at CES for having crazy levels of battery life.

PanasonicToughbook31With such a big battery, the Toughbook 31 is actually a large laptop. It's meant to be tough, and can withstand some rough conditions, maintaining the same MIL-STD 810G standards as the former. Weighing in at 3.58 kilograms with one battery, or 3.7 kilograms with two, the Toughbook can withstand a drop of 6 feet, high altitude, extreme temperature and spraying water.

More importantly, is the battery life, which is said to be improved thanks to the laptop's Core i5-5300U vPro processor from Intel (Tech Radar). According to UberGizmo, the option of one battery will provide 18 hours of battery life, and a second will provide 27 hours. Looks like in the best case scenario, this laptop does withhold its “24 hour” title.

More upgrades include HD 5500 integrated graphics, making the laptop run more powerfully overall, Wi-Fi, and Windows 8.1 installed, which could either be a nightmare or a blessing. Depending on your preference, a lovely downgrade to Windows 7 can easily be done.

PanasonicToughbook31-2A battery like this means you'd be good on a short business trip, going to class, or simply having your laptop on you all day for random access. Although its a big hefty to lug around, its beyond the longest we've ever seen a laptop be able to stay on sans a plug in. Just a few years ago, 8 hours was impressive. If you're impressed, the Toughbook 31 is a million dollars. Just kidding, but it's close, $3,699.

Topics: Technology News Battery & Power Technology Laptop Trends Laptops & Ultrathin Ultrabooks

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