by Rowan Litter | 06/30/2020
On June 24, 2020, Panasonic officially released the TOUGHBOOK A3 tablet along with Productivity+ Android Platform Support. The new fully-rugged tablet is the fourth Android-based TOUGHBOOK device released from Panasonic, following the 7” TOUGHBOOK L1, 5” TOUGHBOOK T1, and 4.7” TOUGHBOOK N1. With a 10.1” display and a modular architecture, the TOUGHBOOK A3 provides Panasonic with new opportunities in Warehousing, Transportation & Logistics, Field Service, and Public Sector-specific use cases. Some of the key features include two replaceable hot-swappable batteries, which serve shared-device and extended-use applications, five user-defined buttons that can each be configured to the user’s desire, and “Rain Mode”, an exclusive Panasonic feature in which the device can identify if a finger is touching the display or rain droplets. For specific use cases, such as in warehousing and forklift-mounts, the FZ-A3 can be configured with a 1D/2D barcode scanner. In addition, the device comes with NFC capabilities, and dedicated GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth communications, with the option of 4G LTE. The fully rugged tablet has an integrated smartcard reader for secure access and personal identification. In addition, the FZ-A3 is FirstNet certified and supports Band 14 spectrum, making the tablet a viable solution for first responders who need to communicate out in the field. With an IP-65 rating and passing 6’ drop tests, the FZ-A3 can survive in almost any environment, from drops on the factory floor to extreme temperatures out in the field.
With the A3 Panasonic’s aims to expand adoption of Android in a category that remains Windows centric. According to VDC’s recently published 2020 Enterprise Tablet report, just over 10% of fully rugged tablets shipped in 2019 supported Android with the balance running Windows. Legacy applications not designed to run on Android devices and the perception of Android as a less stable/secure platform have all contributed to adoption headwinds.
To address Android’s lifecycle support and stability requirements among enterprise and public sector customers, Panasonic is rolling out Productivity+, a suite of support solutions to assist organizations and customers migrating to the Android platform. The offering includes software, such as mobile device management, and support from Panasonic’s extensive partner network that help customers migrate Windows applications to Android devices and then manage and sustain the device after deployment. A key support feature of the TOUGHBOOK A3 is zero-touch enrollment that allows for easy device configurations and deployment. When you combine Panasonic’s hardware, software, professional services and partner ecosystem, you get 365 degrees of support that lasts throughout the products lifecycle.
View the 2020 Enterprise Mobility and the Connected Worker Research Outline to learn more