It’s the notebook equivalent of a tank—with a force field around it. The Panasonic Toughbook CF-31 is able to withstand 70-mph winds and nearly 6 inches of blowing rain per hour. Or you can drop it from 6 feet 26 times. And while this fully rugged notebook looks the same as its predecessor on the outside, inside this Intel Core i5 machine boasts almost double the performance and increased protection without sacrificing battery life. Better yet, at $3,799, this 13-inch notebook costs about a grand less than the CF-30. That’s something budget-conscious government agencies and police forces will appreciate.

Design

The CF-31 looks very similar to its older brother, sporting the same silver-metal and black rubber design. The lid, bezel, and handle are made of a magnesium alloy bordered by a hard black plastic. The lid is supported by a pair of heavy-duty hinges and, when closed, is firmly secured to the base using a spring-loaded latch.

Measuring 11.9 x 11.5 x 2.9 inches, this isn’t a notebook designed to be slipped inside a satchel, and at 8.8 pounds, you probably wouldn’t want to. Still, its handle makes lugging around the CF-31 fairly easy. The top of the handle has a small slot to stow the included stylus.

Durability and Security

While the CF-30 met the MIL-STD-810F durability standard, the CF-31 is made of tougher stuff, and is designed to meet specifications for ingress protection (IP-65) and durability (MIL-STD-810G). That means, among other things, it can withstand operating temperatures from -20 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 to 160 degrees when turned off), and altitudes of up to 15,000 feet. It can survive 31 minutes of 70-mph wind and 5.8 inches per hour of rain blown at it, and 26 drops from 72 inches while turned off (36 inches while turned on and open). It can also withstand up to 310 pounds of pressure on its lid.

To test some of these claims, we dropped the CF-31 several times from 6 feet (turned off and closed) and 3 feet (turned on and open). We also poured 12 ounces of water on the keyboard, and stood on the lid. The machine withstood every challenge, and continued to operate normally. However, we noticed that the latches for the smaller ports would pop open after we dropped the machine.



But Mother Nature isn’t the only thing this notebook is protected against. Security options for the CF-31 include a Smart Card reader, fingerprint reader, and Trusted Platform Module (TPM) v1.2. Additionally, a concealed mode turns off or dims the screen, all LED lights, and sound at the press of a button, which is a good feature when you’re on a stakeout.