 In announcing the appointment, Panasonic stated Buxton will work closely with Panasonic’s industry partners as Toughbook extends its range into new tablet, hybrid and handheld categories.
“Our strong channel and expanding product portfolio of rugged solutions for mobile workers is seeing us push into new markets,” Marc Amelung, Panasonic group manager, Toughbook, commented. “Stuart’s industry expertise will be key in further building the momentum of the solid growth we’re experiencing for the Toughbook brand in Australia.” Buxton, who has more than 15 years’ experience in senior roles in sales and marketing, joins Panasonic from games publisher Electronic Arts, where he was business manager for greater China and Southeast Asia. He has previously held senior marketing positions with Dell Australia, including retail marketing manager and marketing strategy manager. Previous Toughbook product marketing manager Jason Lee has been appointed national manager marketing for the Panasonic Business Systems Group, driving marketing strategy for the company’s B2B technologies and solutions, reporting to Jason Coleman, Business Systems Group director and country head. – New Toughbook CF-54 and Toughpad FZ-B2 Panasonic has additionally announced the introduction of two new products in the form of the CF-54 Windows Toughbook thin and light semi-rugged laptop and the FZ-B2 Android Toughpad tablet, designed to stand up to challenging environments.
The CF-54, which runs Windows 8.1 Pro Update with an option for Windows 7 Professional (available through downgrade rights from Windows 8.1 Pro), is powered by a 5th Generation Intel Core vPro processor, and features a 14″ display available in either full-HD (1920 x 1080), or full-HD with capacitive multi-touch touchscreen. The CF-54 features magnesium plating used on all four sides, full keyboard and display area spill protection, along with a honeycomb-style bonnet to provide maximum protection from impacts. It can survive drops of up to 76 cm, comes with its own integrated carry handle, offers up to 11 hours of battery life, and up to 18 hours with an optional hot-swappable second battery. Panasonic states the 7″ FZ-B2 “is the perfect work tool for mobile workers using light applications or businesses taking advantage of open source operating systems”. It is compatible with the same accessories
as Panasonic’s 7″ Windows-powered Toughpad FZ-M1 tablet, has a MIL-STD-810G sealed IP65 dust and water-resistant design, and supports a 7-hour standard battery and a 14-hour high-capacity battery. The FZ-B2 is powered by an Intel Celeron N2930 processor, runs Android 4.4, and is equipped with 2 GB RAM and 32 GB of storage capacity. It features a WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution screen, and is built to perform in any light conditions, with five finger capacitive touchscreen capabilities. It has a 2 MP front web camera with mic and 5 MP rear camera. Pricing for the CF-54 starts from $2,849 RRP and the FZ-B2 from $1,599 RRP, with both available now. |
