When someone asks you about your dream laptop, most of you might go with the Knights in the shining armor, the Apple MacBook lineup or for those of gaming aficionados among you, they will go with the Samurai clans of the ROG, RAZOR, OMEN, PREDATOR or others.

But among ourselves is a sect who doesn’t need the Knights in the shining armor or the killer Samurai, but what we want is a warrior capable of handling a bulk of tools & should be able to get the shit done no matter the terrain.

Yes, I am talking about the Gurkhas of the laptop world, the ToughBooks. Panasonic ToughBook 55 in particular.

Now when you hear the word ToughBook you expect it to be a beefy laptop for Construction sited, cop cars & forward military bases. That you only get to see in Call Of Duty.

But Panasonic ToughBook 55 is a laptop that could become anything you wanted all but with a click of a mod.

Whats the deal

According to the https://panasonic.com/

The Panasonic TOUGHBOOK® 55 is a 14” semi-rugged laptop that features an innovative modular design and up to 40 hours of battery life with its optional 2nd battery. The modular design allows users to upgrade the memory, storage, keyboard and three different expansion areas featuring additional I/O, optical drives, authentication readers, dedicated graphics and more.  Backwards compatibility with the previous generation of docks protects customers’ investments while saving time and resources. Built with state of the art technology, the TOUGHBOOK 55 offers the latest Intel® 8th Gen quad-core vPro™ processors, infrared webcam with 4 microphones, crisp and powerful 92db speakers, color-selectable backlit keyboard and a Night mode to reduce eye strain and help preserve night vision.  The TOUGHBOOK 55 is the lightest and thinnest in its class and offers optional FirstNet™ EM7511 Band 14 mobile broadband for maximum mobility.

Key features

• Innovative modular design and user-removable expansion packs offer unparalleled customization
• Unprecedented battery life — up to 40 hours with optional 2nd battery
• MIL-STD and IP53 certified magnesium alloy design with built-in handle
• A great clicky keyboard that even works in Rain.
• 1080p Infrared webcam with tetra-array microphones and privacy cover.
• Tons of ports and peripherals with more port selections.
• A 1000 nits crisp display which makes it workable even in daylight.
• A swappable GPU.

Modular all the way

A large portion of the Toughbook’s base is made up of bays that can accept an astonishing array of modules — everything from RFID readers to Blu-ray drives. Even the keyboard can be swapped out.

Most of the bays have quick-release sliding locks that, can be used to pop out the module and swap in a new one. This includes the storage drive and the primary battery bay. Others, like the rear expansion area and the GPU bay (yes, there’s even a swappable graphics card module!).

Even the SSD module is located in its own dedicated, easily accessible bay on the bottom of the Toughbook 55. The ability to remove the drive can improve data security, allowing you to store the drive in a separate location from the laptop or using much secure SSD’s in place of the USB.

All of these modules come at an additional cost which is mindblowing high. At current list prices, a second 512GB SSD is $400, the GPU module is $700, a second battery is $150, the fingerprint reader is $125, and the Blu-ray optical drive is $400.

Further detailed specification can be found HERE.

At the end of the day, the Panasonic ToughBook 55 isn’t for everyone, its for a specific domain of users, those who want their laptops to be supermodular. It’s for those who want themselves to be equipped with every tool they are possibly gonna need. Like Network administrators, Security Experts & Hackers.

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Benjamin Franklin

northner

A technology enthusiast who loves to create and break things. Love to work on Linux, technology, and Computers.  I am a CyberSecurity aficionado, and wannabe wildlife Photographer constantly learning and experiencing new things.