The mobile medical space better make some room – Panasonic, one of the kings in the rugged mobile pc space, is coming to play with the Toughbook H1 Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) sporting a digitizer by InPlay Technologies, GOBI-enabled broadband, and dual hot-swappable batteries. It will be available in January 2009 with a starting price of $2799. See this June 30 article on InPlay announcing a “major deal” with a Japanese rugged tablet pc OEM. Now we know who it was!
To better serve the growing demand for mobility in the healthcare environment, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, manufacturer of durable, reliable Panasonic Toughbook ® mobile computers, today announced the Panasonic Toughbook H1, the first fully-rugged mobile clinical assistant (MCA) and the first device of its kind to integrate the low power Intel ® AtomÃ¢â€žÂ¢ processor. The new Toughbook H1 redefines performance and functionality for the MCA category with six hour battery life, dual hotÃ¢â‚¬”swappable batteries, standard daylight viewable screen and integrated GobiÃ¢â€žÂ¢ technology in a sealed and easily-sanitized package.
The Toughbook H1 is based on Panasonic’s innovative engineering, resulting from its own proprietary global healthcare industry research and Intel’s mobile clinical assistant (MCA) reference design. The company visited clinicians around the world to solicit feedback for the product. The resulting device improves workflow and eases clinical loads for doctors and nurses, allowing them to access patient records at the point of care and document a patient’s condition in real time. The workflow advantages offered by the H1 can help healthcare organizations maximize efficiency, which is critical as the market faces an aging population, increased demand for healthcare services and a shortage of nurses.
The Toughbook H1 MCA can help to reduce medication administration errors while helping clinicians deliver faster, safer care. With integrated RFID reader, 2.0 megapixel auto-focus camera with dual LED lights, a barcode reader, contactless smart card reader and fingerprint readers, the new Toughbook H1 MCA is a secure and intuitive platform for barcode medication administration (BCMA), vitals capture and electronic medical records (EMR) capture and review.
By leveraging Panasonic’s advanced battery technology and a low-power Intel Atom processor, the H1 offers a category-leading six hours of battery life, complemented by dual hot-swappable batteries that deliver extended life, allowing non-stop computing while on the move. This virtually eliminates down time, maximizing return on investment.
The Toughbook ® H1 has been designed for easy disinfection, reducing the risk of germs being spread from patient to patient. The device is the first MCA to offer a fanless design Ã¢â‚¬” limiting the opportunity for germs to be transported by the device Ã¢â‚¬” and also features a smooth surface with sealed buttons, a gapless LCD screen and no exposed ports.
To further aid in disinfection, a Panasonic-designed software utility can be programmed to remind users to wipe the unit down at defined intervals. The utility automatically records a successful cleaning for the hospital’s permanent records.
Panasonic is focused on delivering the industry’s most reliable mobile solutions, ensuring that practitioners and administrators can depend on their technology along the entire continuum of care.
Panasonic’s commitment to quality results in a total of more than 500 checks and tests before, during and after production, on every Toughbook unit built. The rugged H1 is MIL-STD-810F tested and is capable of withstanding three foot drops Ã¢â‚¬” similar to the height of a patient’s bed Ã¢â‚¬” while operational. The sealed unit is IP54 compliant for water-, rain- and dust-resistance and can easily handle being repeatedly sprayed and wiped with disinfectant.
The highly durable H1 is the first MCA device to be backed with a 3-year standard warranty.
In addition, Panasonic is using Intel’s MCA platform, together with the freely available Intel MCA Software Development Kit (SDK), to accelerate time-to-market for application developers by providing a development environment that is hardware agnostic. The company also offers dedicated developer support and sales training for its partners.
Customers provided significant input into the design of the H1. With its light weight, 3.4 pound design, low heat production, integrated hand strap and barcode reader placement, the Toughbook H1 offers improved ergonomics over first-generation MCA devices.
To meet the needs for mobility in both facilities and in-home health environments, the H1 offers a range of embedded wireless options including 802.11a/b/g/draft-n and Bluetooth ® 2.0. The device can also ship with Qualcomm’s new GobiÃ¢â€žÂ¢ technology, simplifying complex multi-carrier wireless deployments for IT departments. The H1 will be certified on all major networks in the US, allowing workers to stay connected regardless of their geography.
The H1 also comes with optional, next generation GPS technology allowing for location awareness with improved accuracy, faster satellite acquisition time and lower power consumption.
The Panasonic Toughbook H1 will be available worldwide in January of 2009. In the United States, the base H1 model is expected to be available at an estimated street price of $2,799 from authorized Panasonic resellers and distributors.
Panasonic Computer Solutions Company empowers the mobile workforce. The company is a unit of Panasonic Corporation of North America, which is the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE: PC). Panasonic has delivered reliable, durable mobile solutions through its Toughbook ® line of notebook computers for fifteen years and has expanded the boundaries of wireless communications technology through a broad portfolio of products, ranging from fully rugged, industrial strength notebook computers and tablet PCs to business-rugged thin-and-light and ultraportable notebooks. A core manufacturer, Panasonic controls the entire process of design, manufacture, quality assurance, service and support. As a result, Panasonic Toughbooks are known for having the lowest failure rates in the industry. Government, industrial, and commercial usersÃ¢â‚¬”from Fortune 1,000 companies to small businessesÃ¢â‚¬”rely on solutions from Panasonic, wherever their work takes them.
All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic’s full line of notebook PCs for the mobile professional can be obtained by calling 800-662-3537 or at https://www.panasonic.com/toughbook.
This is going to put a bit of a squeeze on Motion.