toughbook w8 for 379

I have a SIM card slot under the little SIM cover, however, the Device Manager and BIOS do not show it, so maybe it is not installed.

 

Still a pretty good deal, but was hoping it was a bonus feature not mentioned in the description. Thanks for sharing.

 

After seeing this, I'm guessing they got a PO from some large corporation or government agency (other than the government agency they were originally built for) and they had to cancel orders from us "little people" to have the needed quantity to fill it.

I know it sucks, but I've seen the exact same thing before in my dealings with Dell and HP at the distributor level; after all, why hassle with processing and shipping on 3,000 different orders when you can process them as one order and just call UPS Freight to get them all?

Congrats to the lucky few, condolences to those who got Geek-wood then shined on...

mnem
I reserve the right to pull out at ANY TIME for ANY REASON... >~~~(;{

 

Well I finally got mine. Interesting little bugger. It's very light. The screen is OK. When people were complaining I had fears it would be like my old Presario 2100 or even my M20. No, it's not that bad. Like the other TB's I've used the keyboard layout isn't my favorite. I don't like using the Fn key to use page up and down and other things like that. It has the chunkiness that says it was designed by durability specs, not ID guys. The trackpad is small but the circular scroll is nice. I'm not sure if I would ultimately prefer this or the Thinkpad x120e. I think this thing will grow on me and unlike my netbook, this should provide enough performance that I no longer need to take my 15.4 computer with me when I travel.

 

So I'm using it right now. My thoughts are the track pad works well but the surface area is small and the buttons are stiffer than I would like. The small size of the buttons isn't an issue because the shape of the track pad makes finding the buttons by touch very easy. I also like that the track pad is centered on the G & H keys, not the center of the notebook. The circular scroll is a nice feature and I will probably use it more than I use the more traditional right side of the box scrolling.

This isn't entirely because I love the scroll feature. It's also because the keyboard isn't well laid out. I guess the same was true of the CF-29 I worked with. I don't like how Panasonic integrated keys I use rather frequently such as page up & down and end into other keys which must be activated using the Fn button. Using the F# keys to adjust things like the screen and speaker volume is common but again it seemed like Panasonic almost randomly placed the various functions. In comparison the keyboard on my Toshiba netbook has a much better layout and is every bit as easy to type on despite being slightly smaller, clearly designed with looks in mind and using fewer combined keys. Of course it isn't spill resistant but I don't think a better layout would compromise spill resistance.

The screen is OK. It's not as bad as I feared based on some comments but it's not great either. It's at least better in color and brightness than my old Dell M20 screen. Not overly vibrant but I do like that it's mat finish. I think the XGA resolution will be a mixed blessing. On one hand I'm actually quite used to small text on my 1920x1200 15.4" notebook. This has text that's even larger than my 10.1" netbook. On the other hand that means it's easy to read the screen even when sitting back a bit. That's a nice change. A similar sized 1280x800 screen would probably be my first choice because some webpages (including this one) require horizontal scoling at 1024 pixels wide. Still, what do you want, easy to read or resolution. In a small screen you generally get one or the other.

The weight is impressively light. Basically the same as my netbook despite adding in a DVD drive. I happen to really like the DVD drive's integration though I'm sure it will rarely get used. At least this has the battery life to really use it.

I do want to criticize Panasonic for what I consider false advertising. The computer is at least 1/2" thicker than the claimed 1.7" thick. Panasonic seemed to forget that the rear feet of the computer are attached. When I measure thickness I think of it in terms of how tall compared to a stack of books. My netbook is 1.3" I was expecting this to be only 1/2" thicker. Not even close. When it comes to height, this computer is perhaps the thickest notebook I've ever owned. That's not cool when trying to pack it into a carry on bag. At least I know much of that thickness when into durability. I could tell my netbook screen spent some time kissing it's keyboard. I don't think that will be a problem here.

In the end I'm not sure I would prefer this over the Lenovo X120e for about the same money. But I do think I will keep it (vs selling it for cost and keeping the netbook). The DVD drive will likely come in handy when I travel.

Hope that all helps!

 

Glad you got yours. Still no word on mine.

Text is easier to read on a standard 12.1" 1024 x 768 XGA than on a WXGA screen.

One thing for sure you'll appreciate is not having to baby the W8 especially if you travel/commute with it a lot. And you could always show off by standing on it!

 

Having used it some more I do wish the thing were thinner. The near 2.25" height is an issue and hurts the portability. While it's nice and light and has a small footprint the thickness means it takes up a lot more space than it's weight suggests. For me thickness is as critical as anything. On the other hand that lid is strong and I don't worry about banging the bag around.

I didn't realize how much I miss the control key on the right side of the space bar. I use it all the time to control click weblinks so they open in a new tab. I almost never use the ALT key so I would be happy to trade the right hand Alt for a Ctrl. I also still miss my page up and down buttons which I used for scrolling through webpages. I had no trouble installing my copy of W7 Pro but I haven't installed the drivers yet. I stared with a Vista restore from the included CDs then upgraded to W7 32bit. Next task is to install the drivers. I guess I'm running some drivers that carried over from Vista but not all of them. I haven't finished the factory recommended upgrade list.

 

That little toy is actually 2 1/4" thick? The base of my CF-30 isn't that thick and it's a big laptop.
CAP

 

Baby got back.

 

I really like my W8. My only gripe is the speakers. All laptops have comparatively tinny speakers, but these are, without doubt, the tinniest, lowest volume speakers I have ever heard. That said, I usually plug in external speakers for all laptops, when listening to something where sound quality matters.

 

Yes, the W8 really is nearly 2.25" thick (2.13" IIRC). The housing isn't that thick but the unit sits an an angle and has three feet across the back. Those feet add a good bit of height that Panasonic didn't include in their thickness measure.
http://www.ruggedpcreview.com/images/pana_w7_sides_small.jpg
Pity because the thing is very light and otherwise works quite well as a portable.

 

It's no great feat to take them off.

 

They sit funny without the feet.

 

How's the installation of drivers going? I sent you a PM regarding the Win7 installation over Vista.

 

busted, as was mentioned the computer wouldn't sit right without them.

Cyrilng,
I replied in a PM but I will post it here as well. I didn't have any issues installing things. I used the included Vista disc to create an OEM Vista install. From there I just upgraded to Win7 Pro using a full license (ie I could install it on a new computer). Once I had Win7 running I just installed the Panasonic driver pack. The only thing issue I've had is the complaint that someone else had about the screen not responding to keyboard brightness commands. So if you press Fn+F2 to make the screen brighter it will change but after a second or so revert back to the previous setting. You can change it via the power management controls (click on the battery icon). Someone suggested killing the Hotkey (or something like that) process to fix the issue. It did but then the on screen stuff that shows you adjusting brightness no longer appears. Also the sound quit but that may be unrelated. I haven't really checked yet. Windows also did a number of updates that might have been the issue. Either way, it wasn't hard. I don't see an issue with Win 7 32 vs 64 bit.

 

geez, try to have a little fun...

 

Many thanks for taking the time to answer my questions & more.

Sorry to hear you're letting it go. I too would love if it were a little more sleek (would be a real deal killer if it were!) but I also appreciate that it has to be somewhat so in order to be 'Tough' & in any case the business class W7/W8s are nowhere as thick (or rugged) as the 'real' Toughbooks are. My other choice for a lightweight notebook with a built-in optical drive would be the Toshiba R700 series (13.3in, 3.2lbs) but they are a bit more expensive than the W8 albeit with better specs too. The current top of the line 12.1in business class Toughbook is the CF-S9 which is very much more expensive! (Hmm, ToughOnline sells the S9 at US$2729 but in Singapore it's going for around SGD$2699 / US$2223 only. but still too expensive for me!)

 

I decided not to wait anymore & got one off eBay since I figured they're both going to cost about the same after adding shipping costs! Now I hope the one my forward shipper ordered for me from ToughOnline doesn't go through!

 

Hey, I work for Bizco...in sales. We did not get any large order...in fact I had an order for 60 and Panasonic would not let us sell them. What really happened is that when this first came out, and the code went everywhere, We had THOUSANDS of orders. Mostly from people from deal sites and people that were gonna put them on CL and Ebay. At first Panasonic said it was ok to just process the orders. Then Panasonic said that they wanted us to make sure that we prioritized all of the empolyees, then they said they wanted us to try and vet that the purchasers were employees or 'real' friends and family. At that time we said there was no way to do that.

What caused the big delays were getting the computers in from Panasonic (we still have the last 300 due) and that they kept sending the code out to the employees tellign them they could still order...so the more that ordered, the less we had for other people.

Just thought I would let you know the real deal. I just found this site. Love it. I will try to lurke and help out when I can.

 

Thanks for the info - and welcome to the site!

You mentioned on your website that you may end up with a few more units than orders and might open up sales again for a short time. Is this still a possibility? (Our local Boy Scout executive missed out on the first opportunity.) Thanks

 

I really dont think so to be honest. There is a different set of guys dealing with this mostly...from what I have understood there are a lot of people that ordered and confirmed and everythng else that are not getting one because we did not shut off ordering fast enough. If so, I will make a post (separate topic) on here to let you guys know...but I really doubt it.

 

Thanks for the deal. My wife loves hers. I'll keep you guys in mind 10 years from now when it's time to replace my 31.

 

Thanks for your honesty! -- and for the "heads-up" offer!

 

Even though I've decided not to keep this computer I have to say I rather like the screen. The color quality etc isn't great but I really like the 12" 4:3 aspect ratio. It just works nicely. It gives you pixel/font sizes about the same as you would get on a 15" 16:9 screen (if there was a 15.0" screen) yet the foot print of this computer is almost the same as my Toshiba netbook. With a 4:3 VGA screen I do find the resolution a bit on the limiting side but not badly. I mean the vertical is the same as our 16:9 screens. The horizontal is only occasionally limiting. So unlike most ultra portables (this computer is an ultra portable in every measure save thickness) this one is easy to sit back and read the screen from arm's length. If say Lenovo made the X120e in both 16:9 (the current version) and a 4:3 VGA version, I might actually pick the 4:3 version. I know I would pick a 4:3 version if they used a 12.1" 1152 x 864 screen.

 

its nice to see the scammers on craigslist trying to get 50-100% profit from these. its the ones who do this ruin it for the people who actually want one for themselves

 

Well, I finally got my W8 today but via eBay. Still no word from my US forward shipper if my order was processed beyond acceptance. Still saved a bundle off the current price here which is nearly twice what I paid.

Great thing was I decided to just try popping in the 128GB Kingston SSD which had Win7 Pro 32-bit installed on it from my old W7 into the W8 & hey bingo! After a few restarts & one anxious moment to see if Microsoft would allow me to activate the OS again, everything seems like business like normal without having going through the hassles of reinstalling the OS & various programs again!

Now I'm deciding if it'll be worth the cost & effort to upgrade to a 64-bit version (mine's an OEM 32-bit only version).

 

IMO, it is not worth installing the 64-bit version. Panasonic has 32-bit drivers for the W8. There are no 64-bit drivers. People have been using 64-bit drivers from the S9 and F9. They may or may not work properly.

Keep the 32-bit version and add a 1gb stick of memory.

32-bit W8 drivers:

http://tpgweb2.net/panasonic/CF-W8_Win7_Drivers.zip

 

For the time I had mine the 32 bit windows 7 seemed fine. I have 32 bit on my netbook as well (I don't think the Atom can do 64). My M4400 has 64 bit. So far I haven't noticed any issues one way or the other.

 

Thanks. I added 2GB already (although only 3.4GB is usable under Win7 32-bit whereas 64-bit would support more).

 

Hi

Has anyone figured out a simple way to use the DVD player to hook up to a regular TV , probably with RCA plugs ?

I would like to use it in my hotel room when I am on the road

Thanks for your ideas

Beaulieu

 

CompUSA.com | SA235 | Kworld PlusTV Pc To TV

Or similar.

 

that uses the USB port , would it be better to find something that uses the VGA port ?

Beaulieu

 

I don't really think you would need any more memory. 4gb is more than enough to run anything on a W8...more would be a waste of money because it would never use it.

 

VGA and audio cables would be great if the TV had VGA in. I think the VGA to composite solutions are more exotic (read expensive).