Panasonic's Toughbook C2 semi-rugged Windows 8 tablet arrives with a third-generation Intel Core processor and delivers approximately 11 hours of battery life, according to the company.

Panasonic Toughbook C2's key features include:

• Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64-bit operating system with Microsoft Windows 7 professional option available

• Intel Core i5-3427U vProTM (3MB cache, up to 2.8 GHz) with Intel Turbo Boost technology

• Five-point capacitive multi-touch 12.5-inch, 500 nit, daylight-readable HD display with an anti-reflective/anti-glare treatments, and IPS technology to enable a wide viewing angle

• Digitizer for note-taking and signature capture with an electronic pen

• Enhanced triple hinge design that provides durable support when rotating the screen to tablet mode

• Bridge battery allows the main battery to be swapped without powering down the device

• Approximately 3.99-pound magnesium alloy design

• High-definition 720p webcam with built-in microphone and optional 3MP rear facing camera

• Redesigned ergonomic Y-shaped hand strap for easy carrying in both landscape and portrait modes

• Embedded wireless technologies including Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth and optional 4G LTE or 3G Gobi mobile broadband

• Flexible configuration options including the optional inclusion of a serial port, VGA (HDMI port comes standard) or modem port, as well as optional near field communications (NFC) or SmartCard reader for user authentication

• Ambient light, magnetic, acceleration and gyro sensors to enable new Windows 8 functionalities

• USB 3.0 ports include two backward-compatible USB 3.0 ports that allow file transfer speeds up to 10x faster than USB 2.0 port.

The Panasonic Toughbook C2 will be available in December and will retail for $2,949.