Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 with Becrypt DISK Protect CPA review
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The Toughpad lives up to its claim of offering business users a close to unbreakable Windows 8 tablet, which, thanks to the inclusion of Becrypt software, is also as secure as it can be. However costing a hefty £2,000 and featuring average battery life and disappointing screen, it is likley to appeal only to vertical markets.
- Pros:
Extremely rugged, robust Becrypt security, decent performance
- Cons:
Only average battery life, disappointing screen lacks vibrancy, bulky
- Overall Rating: 3 Star Rating: Recommended
- Price: £2000 Manufacturer: Panasonic
- Model: Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1
- Display: 10.1in high brightness WUXGA (1920x1200) touchscreen with digitiser stylus
- Processor: Intel Core i5-3437U
- Memory: 4GB RAM
- Storage: 128GB or 256GB
- Dimensions: 270x188x19mm
- Battery: Removable 4,000mAh lithium ion pack
- Weight: 1.1kg
The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 launched earlier this year as a rugged device, being drop, scratch and water resistant. Now, with Panasonic having inked a channel deal with government-certified encryption provider Becrypt to carry it's DISK Protect CPA, the device has also been toughened from a security perspective. However, at £2,000 it's questionable whether the Windows 8 Pro tablet will have any real appeal to the wider industry.
Design and build
The Toughpad is a fairly bulky device, with its metal chassis coming fully armoured with rubberised corners. The armour makes the Toughpad measure in at a massive 270x188x19mm, and it weighs 1.1kg. This means that even when compared with other Intel Core-powered tablets, like the Surface Pro, the Toughpad is a tank, though this is not heavy in comparison with other rugged kit such as Panasonic's Toughbook laptops.
The tablet's chunky design is exacerbated by the fact that its microSD, HDMI, USB 2.0, power and headphone ports are plugged with hefty metallic covers and its front face features seven fairly prominent physical buttons.
However, the increased bulk and plating isn't just for show. Thanks to the protection and bulky chassis, the Toughpad is IP65 certified. This means that on paper the tablet is one of the toughest ever made, being drop proof – up to four metres – as well as water and scratch resistant.
We tested these claims as far as we dared dropping the tablet while standing on an office chair, running it under a cold tap and generally bumping it about while using it for work purposes during a press trip abroad. In all occasions the Toughpad came out on top – in fact in our drop test it was the floor that came off worse.
Display
The Toughpad comes with a 10.1in high brightness 1920x1200 WUXGA display. The screen is designed to be as rugged as the Toughpad's outer chassis, and as a result has a generous portion of protective shielding around it. This seems to have had an effect on the image quality of the screen, which showed significantly less vibrant colour balance and generally looked muted compared with other Windows 8 tablets.
Despite this, we did find the Toughpad's display was fairly responsive. The screen features 10-point multi-touch support, letting it pick up all our gestures and pokes with ease. For those looking to actually scribble notes on the Toughpad, Panasonic has also equipped the device with a digitiser pen that slots into a clip dock on the back of the device. While the stylus isn't quite as accurate as the one seen on the Microsoft Surface Pro it was more than usable and generally picked up our notes and gestures quickly and accurately.
Operating system and software
The Toughpad comes with Windows 8 Pro, which means that as well as all the standard Windows 8 applications, the Toughpad can run legacy apps designed for older Windows versions, such as custom productivity tools or applications. Panasonic has also loaded the device with a host of other security and productivity software. Chief of these is Becrypt's DISK Protect encryption tool.
Disk Protect is a particularly robust security service that meets the protection standards required for use by the UK Government and Ministry of Defence. This means that for general business, it may actually be overkill.
The tool adds several security features, the most noticeable of which is a secondary login screen. The service makes the device boot to a secure login screen before loading Windows, requiring users to enter a separate username and password.
This feature is designed to protect data stored on the Toughpad by preventing any information being loaded or unencrypted before the user has been authenticated – so if the device is compromised or stolen hackers won't be able to root it.
PerformancePanasonic ToughPad FZ-G1 Intel
Compute-wise the Toughpad has a reasonable specificaiton, shipping with an Intel Core i5-3437U vPro Processor, Intel HD 4000 graphics and 4GB of RAM. This means the Toughpad is fairly fast for a tablet, offering similar performance to the Surface Pro, loading Windows in about five to six seconds and dealing with basic tasks hassle free – after you get past the primary Disk Protect boot.
However, we did notice the Toughpad is fairly noisy to run. Even with normal use the Toughpad's cooling fan makes an intrusive humming noise, escalating to create a whirring cacophony of noise when the device is pushed to its limits. Worse still, even with the cooling mechanism cranked to its limits we found the tablet has a tendency to heat up with prolonged use.
Storage and battery
The Toughpad is available with 128GB or 256GB SSDs for stroage, which is adequate for most business purposes on a tablet.
The Toughpad is also reasonably equipped when it comes to battery life, featuring a 4000mAh removable battery that Panasonic claims will last up to 8 hours off one charge. Testing the Toughpad, with general use we found the tablet fell short of Panasonic's projected life, running out after about six hours.
General use entailed uses of productivity applications with a Bluetooth keyboard, surfing the internet for a few hours and watching a few videos. Battery burning the device by looping a video stored on the Toughpad, the device lasted five hours on our first burn, four and a half on our second and, oddly, six on our third.
While the Toughpad will almost last a full working day off one charge, you will need to occasionally top it up when away from your desk for prolonged periods, which is a bit of an issue as it uses a custom charger.
Overall
Summing up, the Toughpad is a decent Windows 8 tablet, featuring an all but unbreakable chassis, robust Becrypt software and powerful Intel Core processor. However, it's hefty weight, average battery life and lacklustre screen hamper its ability to shine. Add to this its £2000-plus cost and we have to question how many businesses, outside of those operating in hazardous environments or dealing with sensite data, will be willing to pay the premium price.
