Panasonic updates notebook line for Vista
updated 08:40 am EST, Wed January 17, 2007
Panasonic Vista Notebooks
Panasonic this morning accompanied its fellow Japanese computer makers in updating its computers to match the needs of Windows Vista. Leading the announcements is the company's mid-size Y5 (pictured), a 14-inch, 1400x1050 notebook that balances directly between battery life and performance. The new model uses a low-voltage 1.83GHz Core Duo that offers better power than ULV models but still obtains a full 8.5 hours of battery life, the company claims. An added element of durability also protects the Y5 against keyboard spills, one-foot direct drops, and 220 pounds of sustained pressure.
Also announced were upgrades to the 12-inch W5 and T5 ultraportables, both of which now use a 1.06GHz ultra-low voltage Core Duo; the W5 with its built-in DVD-RW drive nets 10.5 hours of battery life, while the thinner T5 runs for 14 hours on standard battery and 6 with a special lightweight battery that reduces the system's weight to 2.3 pounds. A last update is the R6, Panasonic's smallest system with a 10.4-inch screen. The diminutive PC shares the same CPU as its W5 and T5 counterparts and manages 8 hours' use in spite of its smaller size, Panasonic says.
All four models now share a 60GB hard drive, an SDHC card slot, Windows Vista Business, and Panasonic's characteristic circular trackpad that allows iPod-like touch scrolling at the edges. Pricing is not listed, but the new systems should all be available when Vista ships on January 30th.
