Panasonic, an industry leader in rugged, reliable mobile computers since 1996, today announced upgrades to the Panasonic Toughbook 31, its best-selling fully-rugged laptop PC, including a faster processor, expanded storage, a more responsive touchscreen and other improvements. The Toughbook 31 is the gold standard for mission-critical mobile workers - including military personnel, first responders and field service workers - requiring exceptional performance in extreme environments.

Powered by new 3rd generation Intel Core processors, the upgraded Toughbook 31 delivers enhanced performance alongside world-class reliability. Other improvements include expanded storage (up to 500GB 7200 RPM HDD with 4-8 GB RAM) and improved touchscreen responsiveness.Panasonic Toughbook 31: Key Improvements

• Upgraded processor options:
  o Intel Core i5-3360M vPro (up to 3.5GHz) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology
  o Intel Core i5-3320M vPro (up to 3.3GHz) with Intel Turbo Boost Technology
  o Intel Core i3-3110M
• Expanded storage on i5 models: 500GB 7200rpm hard drive (shock-mounted flex-connect with quick release and hard drive heater)
• Improved battery life: 7% longer, delivering 14.5 hours per MobileMark 2007 testing on the i5-3320M model. And, an additional 6.5 hours with the available media bay 2nd battery.
• Added connectivity options: standard USB 3.0 port provides up to 10x faster file transfer speeds
• Improved wireless connectivity: Intel 6235 Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n standard on all models
• Increased touchscreen responsiveness
• Improved battery calibration tool: Now capable of running in the background, allowing simultaneous use of computer

"It's not only important to deliver the most reliable mobile computers to our customers, it's also important they do not compromise on performance," said Kyp Walls, director of product management, Panasonic Solutions for Business. "With a history of low failure rates and a long service life, the Toughbook 31 delivers the reliability our customers need and with these upgrades, the device will also deliver the performance required to run very demanding applications."

The Toughbook 31 is the sixth generation of flagship Toughbook clamshell notebooks, the product line with which Panasonic set the standard for rugged and reliable mobile computing. The Toughbook 31 is certified by an independent third party testing lab to meet or surpass MIL-STD-810G tests for shock, drop, vibration, extreme temperature and high altitude. Screen brightness can be reduced to as low as 2 nits for concealed nighttime use, which can be critical for the safety of military and public safety users. With the ability to survive drops of up to six feet, an IP65 rating for unparalleled protection from water and dust, optional integrated 4G LTE wireless or 3G Gobi mobile broadband, and a 13.1-inch XGA LED touchscreen with Panasonic CircuLumin technology allowing for full circle viewability from the brightest sunlight to pitch darkness, the Toughbook 31 is made to excel in some of the world's most challenging scenarios.

Pricing and Availability
In the United States, the Toughbook 31 is available from authorized Panasonic resellers starting at an estimated street price of $3,499.