Panasonic has launched the new ToughBook CF-54 mk1, a new laptop for the semi-rugged market.

Announcing the laptop at a Leipzig event yesterday, Panasonic claimed it was going all-in on the semi-rugged market. Panasonic focused on bringing the ToughBook to new markets like insurance, government, military and outdoor work.

Like Us on Facebook

The new adjustments to the ToughBook make it more usable in the field,. It's got a handle to carry the laptop around and the 50 percent size reduction makes it a less bulky bundle.

Losing 25 percent weight as well, the new ToughBook is an all-round winner compared to the previous CF-53 mk4 unit, which is still a very bulky machine for businesses.

Panasonic is selling three ToughBook models. The first is a 14-inch HD (1336 x 768) option with 500 GB of HDD storage for €1,544 ($,1758).

The second is a full HD (1920 x 1080) option with 128 GB of SSD storage for €1,792 ($2,041) and the third has a full HD display with touchscreen for €2,247 ($2,559).

The two full HD models will be available with an optional Intel Core i7 processor and AMD FirePro graphics card.

Panasonic is pushing the idea of modulation. This allows users to swap out a battery through a 'hot-swap' and add a second battery instead of a DVD player, or add a smart card reader instead.

For large organizations, Panasonic offers a way to open up the mini-PCI area, the battery and even the connectivity. Organizations can then add their own features and modules to the ToughBook.

It's part of a big commitment by Panasonic to business, government and industry. Panasonic representative Mark Thorne stated the Russian government was one of its customers, showing the global growth of the ToughBook.

TagsPanasonic, ToughBook, Windows 8, enterprise, outdoor laptops