Panasonic Uses Atom Power in Mobile Clinical Assistant

Most doctors and assistants currently working in medical facilities all over the world are using the old-fashioned clipboard in order to write down specific details and info on a patient's medical status, as well as to add new facts to the their medical sheet.

 

However, as most of us have probably already seen in all those sci-fi movies, in the future, doctors will use a computer-like device that will not only inform them on the patient's status, but will also let them prescribe medications in real time or even help them set diagnostics. Given all the new advancements in technology, those devices we now see in movies are bound to become reality, sooner than we might have imagined. Thus, Panasonic's latest product should not come as a surprise.

 

Panasonic has just introduced a new product to its range of Toughbook family of portable systems, one that addresses the medical sector, by providing doctors and nurses with a new way of storing and interacting with the patient's medical information. Basically, the new Panasonic Toughbook H1 comes as a rugged mobile clinical assistant, which builds on Intel's Atom Z540 processor, with a 1.86GHz core speed and 512KB of L2 cache.

 

The portable system has been featured with a 10.4-inch dual touch LCD, capable of a maximum resolution of 1024 by 768 pixels, powered by Intel's GMA 500 video controller, with a maximum of 256MB of UMA VRAM. As far as storage and memory are concerned, the system can be equipped with 1GB of DDR2 memory and an 80GB shock-mounted drive. Additional features include a wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n network connectivity with an optional integrated Gobi 3G module and Bluetooth 2.0. This Toughbook has also been featured with a 2.0MP webcamera, a fingerprint reader, an RFID and a 2D barcode one, as well as with twin hot-swappable lithium ion battery packs.

 

Coming with a price tag of US$2,799, which is considerably higher than that of any Atom-powered device on the market, the Toughbook H1 is expected to become available in January 2009.