Panasonic is launching a brand new rugged Android pill, the Toughbook A3, that seeks to develop the Android choices accessible within the enterprise whereas standing out with its options round connectivity and configurability.
Panasonic, with North American headquarters in Newark, N.J., can also be debuting a brand new suite of providers, known as “productiveness+,” that may be leveraged by answer suppliers to assist with serving clients.
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The Toughbook A3 joins a rising lineup of Panasonic rugged Android units for the enterprise, complementing the corporate’s portfolio of Home windows rugged units, stated Dan Diliberti, head of mobility product administration and market technique at Panasonic.
“Throughout the final 5 years now we have been creating a line of Android units particularly to go after the chance the place Home windows CE units are being changed with new applied sciences. That is creating a extremely nice alternative for our companions,” Diliberti stated. “We’ve got been main the cost on introducing Android into the enterprise.”
Panasonic, whose Toughbook gross sales are directed fully via the channel, says it’s in search of to work with companions to assist transition clients to Android in industries resembling warehousing, logistics, transportation, public security and retail.
Together with introducing new {hardware} with the Toughbook A3, the corporate can also be offering help with transitioning mission-critical purposes to Android as a part of its productiveness+ providers, stated Jim Dempsey, director of the Edge Mobility Group at Panasonic.
“There are loads of purposes on the market on Home windows CE, and that is gone, and on Home windows Cell, which is gone. And clients are saying, ‘I need to use this new [Android] interface and I must get my app over,'” Dempsey stated. “We’ve got a fast software software, constructed into our software program platform, that enables clients that capability. Usually it is a software program engagement with them–if it is an in-house app, our groups will interact with them, and can port their app over from Home windows CE to a contemporary Android platform to run on this new gadget.”
Productiveness+providers that companions can leverage, in the meantime, embody ProServices repairs for Toughbook devices–and Panasonic has expanded to a second ProServices facility, in Memphis, to function the first middle for Android gadget repairs, Dempsey stated.
For the Toughbook A3 itself, key differentiators embody help for each 4G LTE and for FirstNet, a wi-fi community from AT&T that’s devoted to first responder and public security customers.
The configurability of the A3 can also be notable, with choices so as to add a 1D/2D barcode scanner, an insertable sensible card reader and a second USB-A port.
Different key options embody a ten.1-inch show that’s outside viewable with as much as 800 nits of brightness; rain and glove contact performance on the show; a twin sizzling swap battery design providing as much as 15 hours of utilization on a cost in complete; and an eight-core Qualcomm processor providing a clock pace of as much as 2.2GHz.
By way of ruggedness, the Toughbook A3 has been designed to have the ability to stand up to a drop of as much as six toes, whereas the pill additionally options IP65 water and dirt resistance.
Jeff Walters, vice chairman of North American gross sales at Peak-Ryzek, a Columbia, Md.-based companion of Panasonic, stated the Toughbook A3 must be interesting to clients because of options such because the pill’s configurability and FirstNet connectivity possibility.
“It is a nicely thought-through product,” Walters stated. “As Home windows Cell is transferring away and purchasers wish to get one thing that is going to be a bit extra modern-looking–as nicely as having some flexibility–I can see the A3 becoming into loads of these use instances.”
Panasonic’s productiveness+ providers are additionally very a lot welcomed, he stated.
“After we’re fascinated about how can we hit a [customer’s] timeline, Panasonic is providing a full answer the place we are able to faucet into their assets as wanted,” Walters stated. “And that enables us to be a bit bit extra nimble and a bit extra versatile in how we’ll deploy [their staff] or deploy ourselves for cell engagements.”
The Toughbook A3 joins three different rugged Android units in Panasonic’s lineup–the 7-inch Toughbook L1 pill, the 5-inch Toughbook T1 handheld and the 4.7-inch Toughbook N1 handheld.
