Panasonic reveals industrial-strength Android tabletsThe company announced yesterday that it plans to sell two models of rugged Android tablets under the Toughpad brand name starting in 2012. The 10-inch, $1,299 Toughpad A1 will arrive first, in the spring.Panasonic isn't aiming the Toughpads at the average consumer, but rather to various business users such as utility crews on the road, military staff in combat situations, or doctors making their rounds. It's a tablet extension of the approach the company already takes with its Tough book line of rugged PCs. 

But I still see the products as good news for average consumers as durability becomes a selling point. Gorilla Glass has meant that buyers of higher-end smartphones don't have to worry about screens scratched by keys and coins, and an ever-broader array of cameras and video cameras are shockproof and waterproof. Durability adds complexity and expense to a device, but it's a feature that I think customers will appreciate and and pay for at least in moderate doses.  Among the Toughbook A1's mainstream specs: a 1.2GHz dual-core processor; Android 3.2 aka Honeycomb; a "daylight-readable," LED-backlit, 1024x768 touchscreen display; 1GB of DDR2 memory; options for WiMax or LTE 4G wireless networking or more conventional 3G newtorking; a front-facing 2-megapixel camera and rear-facing 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash; ports for micro USB, micro SDHC, and HDMI; and a 33.9 watt-hour lithium-ion battery. It measures 10.5x8.3x0.67 inches and weighs 2.1 pounds. 

With a price that's hundreds of dollars more than a conventional tablet, mainstream customers won't pay for the Toughpad. I wouldn't be surprised also if its daylight-readable, anti-glare screen doesn't look as good for those who mostly play games or videos indoors.  The novel specs come later, though: operating temperatures between 14 degrees and 122 degrees Fahrenheit, drop-test rating to 4 feet, a magnesium alloy chassis with elastomer bumpers on the corners, hardware security features, the ability to withstand thermal shocks from rapid changes in temperature, a protected screen, port covers to keep out dust, vibration resistance, a field-replaceable battery, and compliance with the MIL-STD-810G military standard for environmental engineering. It's also got a stylus, a good feature for precision input.